These Eyes Of Mine
by Michel Hazard
Summary: There's a new boy in the Village of Konaha. He is a mystrious boy with a terrifiying past. Anko is ordered to find out more about him. What will happen when she finds out about his past? What will happen between them when she finds out? My OC story.
1. First Date

**A/N: **Ok I'm reposting this one because I felt like it needed it. It's chapter 1 of my first story. Hopes you like it.

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**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

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"What a burden," the boy sighed, "Why did he have to come to such a big village?" He starts to wonder why he even came to this village and was it really worth his time. "Well…I did promise him I would see them again." He started to walk through the Konoha gates to start his long search.

"Hey. Who are you?" the two doormen asked. The doormen read him thoroughly.

He looked like a 17 year old boy, was about 6'1'' and about 200 lbs. He had straight black hair. It was medium in length with a square lining but was long in the front. The hair came down to the top of his eyebrows in the form of spikes. He wore a long leather trench coat that reached down to his ankles and had black shoes.

When the boy turned around to address the men, they saw that he was wearing a black shirt and black shorts that reached to his calves.

"Just someone passing by." The boy replied already bothered by their question and started to walk back towards the village. One of the doormen questioned, "I wonder what he wants?"

The other started to move towards his communicator, "We should report this."

The boy walked through the village, looking around for a particular place. As he walked by, everyone would stare and criticize him.

"Mommy, why is his forehead protector over his eyes and why doesn't it have a symbol on it?" said a child rudely.

"Shhhh, don't be rude to the man." The mother replied. The boy chuckled as he heard this.

"Children," he said smiling, "always saying things at the worst time." He continued his search but was inevitably interrupted by some ANBU ninjas.

"Excuse us sir but we need you to come with us." The ANBU asked. The boy noticed their masked faces.

"Why?" he responded.

"We were told to bring you in by the Hokage."

"_**Why **__**me**_?" He thought but just shrugged it off.

The two ninjas escorted him to a building called the Hokage tower. He was then taken into an office with a woman at a desk and another woman at her side.

He stood shiftless studying the room. It seemed to be a regular office with the desk and a couch. He looked towards the back to see the woman behind the desk. She was focusing at a file, not even noticing that he came into the room. The other woman appeared to be her assistant. She, on the other hand, did recognize his entrance and looked up at him and stood shocked at his appearance.

The woman, finally giving credit to the presence of the boy, exclaimed, "I am very busy woman." She then began taking her focus off the file, "I have an intense amount of paper work to deal with but for someone to come here and tell me that a member of Akatsuki is here in the village is one of the only things to catch my attention so quickly." He grinned.

"_**Great**__**A woman with a big mouth and misinformed**__…"_ He thought. He looks up at the woman but not at her face, "_**has some gigantic boobs though**__."_ She then turned her attention towards the boy but was interested to see the boy's forehead protector covering his eyes. When then woman looked up.

"I'll be short and simple," continued the woman cutting off the boy's thoughts, "For starters: Who are you?"

The woman holding the pig whispered, "Let's hope he tells the truth."

Trying to break the ice, the boy repeats jocularly, "For enders: I will not say."

Irritated by his childish response, she continued, "Why are you here?"

He continued his childish comebacks, "I don't know, why are YOU here?"She gave him an aggravated look at his sly remarks.

Seeing that she was frustrated, he answered, "I'm just a visitor."

Ignoring his response she quickly asked, "Are you a member of Akatsuki?" As this question arose, she gave a very serious tone and sharp look.

He gave the woman a puzzled look in silence implying that he didn't know what Akatsuki was. The woman, seeing his puzzled look, continued with an explanation. "Akatsuki is an organization currently consisting 8 members that have tremendous powers and ruthless nature. They have only one goal: World Domination."

Still with a puzzled look he exclaimed, "Of course not."

With a sigh of relief, the woman preceded with the conversation, "Well, that's a relief." She then thought about what the boy said, but since he was a visitor and she had intervened with his visit she decided to leave that aside and present herself properly. "My name is Tsunade. I am the Fifth Hokage of this village and with this title I am in charge with its safety." Tsunade then turned and addressed to the woman with the pig. "This is my assistant Shizune." Shizune then gives a nice smile towards him but he stood motionless, reasoning that the villagers must have seen him as a threat and reported him to Tsunade. "I'm sorry if we've interrupted your visit here…" she continued but was cut off by the noise of the door being opened. Another woman walked into the office and stood in front of the boy not taking into account his existence.

"Tsunade," she began, "I've finished my mission." She continued with a cocky smile; "The prisoner was delivered safely." She then sees that Tsunade was mad at her barging in. She then noticed the boy's presence and turned around. "Huh, who are you?" She said rudely. A mysterious sensation arose in her and left her immobile.

"Well," Tsunade said out loud, "thank you for the report Anko but for now I have another mission in mind." She gave a smirk indicating she had something else in mind; "A more interesting mission."

The boy understood that Tsunade must have her hands full and the last thing she needed was him imposing. "Well, since your busy I'ma go." The boy turns and leaves the office. The entire time Anko didn't take her eyes off him there was something holding her back. As soon as he leaves it broke her concentration and she quickly turns to Tsunade.

"Who was that?" she said confusingly.

"That is your mission." Anko stood staring at Tsunade with utter confusion. Tsunade gave another smirk and she interlaced her hands, "I need you to follow that boy and find out what you can about him. It was reported that he was an Akatsuki member and he denied it but we must take precautions just in case."

Anko was surprised to find out that he was an Akatsuki member."Yes, Mama." She said and left quickly to not loose the boy.

When she left the room Tsunade gave a worried sigh and said, "Let's hope everything turns out O.K."

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"_**It's 11 o'clock at night and she's still following me**__."_ The boy pondered. Earlier, he found the place he was looking for but he continued walking to see how long she would persist. "_**She's on the roof tops to try and stay out of human ear shot**__."_ He then stopped and smirked to himself.

"I hope he didn't notice me." Anko muttered as she stopped on one of the roofs. "It's already late; he should be getting tired soon." She started to move towards the edge to catch sight of him.

"ANKO!" he screamed out. She immediately moved out of sight and was in total shock.

"_SHIT_. How did he see me?" She scolded at herself.

"I'd be more comfortable if you came down here and walked with me than just follow me." He started. She took a step forward in disbelief. "Come on." he gave a gesture, "Let's go get something to eat." Anko didn't understand what he meant. He smirked again. "You're probably hungry from following me all day." He said aloud, "Come on, I know a place where we can go."

Anko then jumped off the roof to the street and smiled. "I guess I underestimated you."

"We'll call it our first date." The boy said flirtatiously. Anko was curious about what the boy meant but there was an interior voice telling her to go.

She smiled and with a teasing voice said, "O.K. Lets see what you got but before any date, I make a clear note to get my date's name?" Anko used this moment to her advantage.

The boy gave up and simply said, "They call me Kuro."

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**A/N: **Alright everyone, if you see something wrong then please tell me. If you review I'll reply back.

Next: Anko and Kuro got and eat at the place Kuro had been looking for.


	2. Hero

**A/N: **Also Fixed this one. Hopes you like it.

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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The moon was high in the sky now and Anko started to get annoyed. "Where are we going?" she asked in a nagging tone.

"You're already tired of walking?" Kuro asked mockingly.

"YEAH RIGHT I'M TIRED; I COULD KEEP ON GOING FOR DAYS!!!!!"

"Good, then what are you complaining about."

Anko's eyes filled with rage as she lifted her fist at him thinking,"_**DAMN YOU**_!" Kuro suddenly stopped causing Anko to forget her anger.

"We're here." He said abruptly. Anko looked at the Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant, a place she knew well.

She turned to him and gave him a puzzled face. "But this place is closed."

Kuro just smiled. "He'll open as soon as he hears my voice."

Kuro walked over to the metal garage-like door and knocked on it. Silence filled the air but moments later a light came on from underneath the door. "If you can't tell, we're closed!" A grumpy voice said from the other side.

Kuro then gave out a loud animalistic growl at the door. Anko took a step back in shock, "Shit, what the hell was that?"

There was silence for a second but then the voice from the other side of the door spoke surprised. "Kuro?"

As the door started to rise the atmosphere started to get heavy. "Is it really you?" the man asked.

As Kuro tried to hold in his laughter from the peculiar sight of the man wearing ramen pajamas, he said, "Yea……it's me."

The atmosphere seemed to get heavier by the minute but it all went away in less then a second. WHAM! The pajama man hit Kuro upside the head with a ladle. "Teuchi, what are you doing?" Anko asked.

"I was worried you wouldn't come back." Kuro got back up rubbing his head, but he wasn't angry instead he had a smile on his face. "When was the last time I broke a promise." Teuchi stood still, having a moment of deep thought.

"GRRRRRRRR." Anko's stomach started to growl. Both men stood glaring at her. "I forgot I brought you here to eat." Kuro remembered. Anko's face was completely red from embarrassment.

"You could have told me in advance and I would've made something before you two got here." Teuchi said but then suddenly stopped and thought for a second. "Wait…what are you two doing out this late," he then turned and pointed at Anko, "and Anko, why are you with him?"

She jumped back not knowing what to say. "Oh…it's…it's…hard to explain."

"It's my fault Oko-san. I brought her with me when I left the Hokage tower." WHAM! Both Anko and Teuchi hit him on the head in a complete frenzy.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT THE HOKAGE TOWER?" yelled Teuchi.

"YEA AND YOU DIDN'T BRING ME I FOLLOWED YOU." Anko proclaimed.

Kuro, rubbing his head, got up off the ground again. "O.K. can we talk about this inside were we won't wake everyone up." He remarked.

Teuchi had forgotten it was late at night. "Your right, come on inside." Teuchi gave a gesture towards the restaurant. Anko and Kuro sat down on the chairs of the restaurant while Teuchi closed the door behind them.

"Nice place you got here Dad, way better then the old mobile shop." Kuro said while looking around the shop and taking off his trench coat.

As Teuchi looked around, he replied, "Yeah, after Ayame and I finally decided to stay here in Konoha, we bought this place and made it into a restaurant." Teuchi looked around the shop to also admire what he had done with the place.

"Teuchi-san, I didn't know you had a son." Anko asked surprisingly.

Both men laughed at Anko's remark but Kuro said respectfully, "Even though I call him Dad, he not my real father."

"Why do you call him dad then?" She asked confused.

"Well……." Kuro started but Teuchi butted in knowing that he didn't want to answer. "It's a long story. We should just leave it for another day, but as for now lets get that food for you two." Teuchi walked over the stove and started it up. Anko could tell that they were keeping something from her but she didn't want to push the issue.

"Hey, Dad." Kuro asked, "Where's Ayame anyway?"

"She's probably sleeping in the back but don't go over there and wake her up you know she's gets grumpy when you do." Teuchi replied. By the time Teuchi turned around to look at him, he was already gone and in the back of the house looking for Ayame's room. "I can never keep up with him." Teuchi said shaking his head.

"Teuchi-san, can I ask you something?" Anko said.

"Oh, sure." Teuchi had forgotten that she was in the room.

"How do YOU know Kuro?" She asked giving Teuchi a curious look.

"Well, just like I said before it's a long story but since he's in the back with Ayame then I guess we have enough time." Teuchi replied while he put the flame of the stove down and walked over to Anko and had a seat. "Before I settled here in Konoha I use to travel around from village-to-village selling my ramen around in a mobile shop with Ayame when she was little. I had a nice life. I was able to go all over the place, go to new villages and new lands. In one of those villages, while I was working, Ayame was outside of the shop playing on the floor with her dolls when suddenly a carriage that was being pulled by four horses came around the corner and ran straight in her direction. At that moment I couldn't do anything and no one was around to help her. The second before Ayame got hit; there was a blur in the corner of my eye. When the carriage was out of sight I saw a small boy, with his forehead protector over his eyes, holding Ayame in his arms."

"Was that small boy Kuro?" Anko interrupted.

Teuchi just nodded and continued, "At that moment all I could do was walk over to him and cry. I was relieved and thankful for him saving my daughter. Ayame was also crying. Now that I think back on it, it was weird that instead of her coming to me, she stayed with Kuro-san and cried in his arms. She just stayed there, not letting him go. After I pulled myself together, I took Ayame from Kuro and invited him to come to our place. He stood speechless but just shook his head and left with a blink of an eye."

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As Kuro left Teuchi and Anko in the other room he began his search for Ayame. "It's been so long. I don't even know if she's the same little sis I had." He got on all fours and took a whiff of the air. "She still smells the same."

Kuro headed for a room in the back that had a pink ring on the door. Kuro stood back up and admired the ring. "I can't believe she still has this." He said in disbelief. He opened the door quietly and walked over to her bed without making a sound. He got on his knees to get a better look at her. "Wow." He said softly. "Who would've known you were going to be this beautiful." Kuro caressed her cheek as she slept. She started to wake up from the warmth of his hand. When she finally opened her eyes she tried screaming at the top of her lungs at the sudden sight of a man in her room, but Kuro quickly covered her mouth and said, "Hey relax it's only me. You don't have to get that excited."

At the sound of his voice she stopped and strained her eyes to see in the dark if it was truly him or not. "Brother."

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"Was it really him?" Anko asked.

"Yeah I wasn't able to even thank him. He just left so quickly. Anyways, about a week later Ayame and I started to head out off the village and go to the next one but we were stopped by the voice of a small boy." Anko's eyes widened in shock. "He was screaming in pain. When Ayame and I followed the voice we found the boy that had saved her fighting a bear. I was completely shocked by the sight. He had scratch marks all over him and was bleeding badly. The bear seemed to be in an equal position because he to was bleeding but not from scratch marks but from bite marks."

Anko couldn't comprehend what Teuchi was saying. "_**How's that even possible**_." She thought.

"And that's when I first saw them." Teuchi continued.

Anko looked up at him. "What? What did you see?" She asked desperately wanting to know.

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When Ayame's eyes adjusted to the dark she saw the face she's wanted to see for about 11 years. "Brother, it's really you."

A tear started to run down her cheek. Kuro cleaned the tear off her face and said, "Come on, you know that I hate it when you cry."

Ayame jumped off her bed and into his arms crying even more. "I've missed you so much."

"Ditto."He replied. They both stood there for a moment holding each other but Kuro then pushed her off to look at her. "Come on; let's go back with Teuchi." She wiped her tears off and nodded.

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"I don't know if I can tell you." Teuchi said.

"Why do you say that?" Anko replied with desperation and curiosity in her eyes.

"Because I told him to not tell anyone unless I said he can." Kuro said as he walked into the room with Ayame holding onto his right arm. When Anko saw Ayame holding Kuro she felt a hint of jealousy but didn't understand why. The feeling of jealousy was not a common feeling for her. Kuro continued, "But YOU'RE an exception."

Teuchi was surprised at his response. "Are you sure?" He asked giving a look of hesitation.

"Yeah." Kuro said cheerfully.

Teuchi, still confused, continued with his story while Kuro and Ayame took a seat. "Where was I, oh yeah the bear fight. Anyways, when we got there the bear automatically looked at us and directed his attack toward us. I grabbed Ayame and covered her with my body, but in the end their was no need. Before the bear hit us, Kuro tackled him into tree. He then started to punch the bear's ribs. The bear couldn't withstand the blows. I was surprising for me to see a small boy having such strength to hunt a bear. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Teuchi started to use a more powerful voice as he continued. "Kuro then pulled a kunai from his pocket and stabbed the bear in the heart. The bear gave a loud roar in pain. Kuro then pulled the kunai across the bear's chest to secure his death. When the bear was down on the floor, that's when Kuro turned around and we saw them."

"WHAT'S THEM?" Anko screamed already frustrated by the hesitation.

"My animal eyes." Kuro said softly interrupting the suspense. It seemed that he had been trying to not pay attention. Anko didn't understand what he meant by "animal eyes".

Teuchi continued to explain the memory. "Kuro's forehead protector was where is supposed to be, and his eyes were fully exposed. I can only describe them as being black."

As Anko tried to get a mental picture of his eyes; she found herself in complete terror.

Teuchi continued to explain Kuro's eyes. "Not only was the pupil and the colored ring black but so was the rest of the eyes. There was no white in his eyes." Ayame clung onto Kuro as she started to remember that day. Kuro didn't move but was in deep thought.

"DAD, YOU LEFT THE STOVE ON!!!!!" Ayame yelled out.

"Shoot, I forgot. Ayame go turn it off." Teuchi said turning around to address her. Ayame got up and ran towards the stove. As she got up she gave a last glance at Kuro and left.

"Why'd you have to be such a hero?" Teuchi asked Kuro sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" Anko asked.

Kuro looked up at her and said, "Because of the bear incident Ayame fell in love with me and it seems that she still hasn't let that go." With a gloomy sigh he said, "Sadly it's a one way love." Anko's jealousy faded at the sound of this comment.

Ayame soon returned with two bowls in her hands. "Here Anko, its Dad's specialty."

"Thank you." Anko replied. She handed the remaining bowl to Kuro.

"Well," Teuchi began again, "after Kuro killed the bear he began to walk back towards the village but since he was badly hurt he couldn't walk straight and eventually fainted. We brought Kuro back to the village and treated his wounds. Ayame took care of him the entire time he was hurt. When he woke up, he tried leaving again but his wounds were not completely healed yet."

Anko gave a quick glance at Ayame and noticed the shy embarrassment of the incident.

"When he was fully healed we tried talking to him and if he was going to be ok? He didn't answer instead headed for the door. When he opened the door to leave Ayame jumped on him and started begging him to stay." Teuchi explained.

"Did you stay?" Anko directed her question to Kuro interrupting Teuchi story.

"Yeah…I just couldn't say no to her." He said while brushing Ayame's hair.

"After that Kuro traveled with us and became a part of the family." Teuchi said.

"And that's basically it." Kuro said finishing it off.

"What, you want to leave out the part that you left us?" At the sound of this Ayame got a depressed feeling but she then looked at Kuro and her heart filled with ease.

"You left?" Anko said.

"Yea, after about a year Kuro decided to leave one day."Teuchi explained. Anko just stared at Kuro but he stayed calm.

"Well that's enough story-telling for today; how about you eat now?" Teuchi proclaimed.

"Oh I forgot about the ramen." Anko said taking her bowl into her hands without hesitation. Kuro did the same.

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"Make sure you come back this time." Teuchi told Kuro. "I will." He replied putting his trench coat back on.

"Where are you going?"Anko asked while finishing her fifth bowl of ramen.

Kuro started to walk towards her. "Taking you home."

"What?" She screamed but when he got next to her he whimpered in her ear, "I always walk my dates home." Anko put her bowl down and chuckled at the memory. "_Come on. We'll call it our first date_."

As Kuro and Anko left the restaurant they waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame. Moments later they were out of sight and Kuro began, "We'll do you have any question?"

Anko stood quiet for a while. "Just one. Is the reason you have your forehead protector over your eyes because of those animal eyes?"

Kuro sighed but agreed to answer. "No, theirs another reason plus the animal eyes aren't on 24/7."

When they got to Anko's house it was already two o'clock in the morning. "Well, sleep well and don't have nightmares." Kuro said.

"Why do you say that?" She asked.

"Because my eyes might follow you." He replied jocularly. Anko smile and waved goodbye.

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**A/N: **Ok. Now that that's done time to move on.

Next: Kuro goes and talks to Tsunade about a proposal.


	3. Fight, Fight, Fight

**A/N: **Another fixer. Hopes that everything turns out ok and that nothing is wrong.

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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"_**Remember what you are."**_ A voice was whispering in Kuro's head as he slept. _**"Don't deny what you are."**_ It continued. Images of different body parts flashed in his head. There was blood everywhere. The mysterious voice continued but Kuro didn't understand it. He was sweating heavily and was tossing and turning.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" He yelled as he sat up on the bed that Teuchi had given him.

"_**I was dreaming again."**_ He thought. He had a very frustrated expression and was sweaty.

"Brother, are you O.K.?" Ayame came running into the room. She stood motionless at the sight in front of her. Kuro was sitting on his bed, naked. "I'M SO SORRY! I FORGOT YOU SLEPT NAKED." Ayame ran out of the room in complete embarrassment.

Kuro smiled at the event that had just taken place. A memory came into his head about the first time that Ayame had gone into his room to check up on him and he was also completely naked on his bed without the covers. Ayame stood shiftless at her first encounter and she had looked at him up and down. When she had realized what she was doing, she ran out of the room.

Ayame stood outside of the Kuro's room as she too recalled the lost memory. She remembered every last detail: his hair, his face, his chest, his stomach, and even his…..

"It's bigger then last time isn't it?" Kuro called out as he got dressed. Ayame was left speechless and she started blushing.

"Don't worry about it. It was an accident." Kuro said as he opened the door and looked at her. "Or was it?" Ayame turned completely red now. She looked away to not let Kuro see her.

"O.K. what are you kids screaming about this early in the morning?" Teuchi was up and still in his ramen pajamas. "Oh, sorry. Ayame and I were just talking." Kuro stated.

Kuro headed towards the bathroom to take his morning shower. As he turned on the hot water, he then turned to the sink and began brushing his teeth. **"What can I do today**?" He thought. It was going to be his second day in the village and he wanted to check out the sights. He spat out the toothpaste and washed his mouth. He stripped down again and got into the shower.

He continued to think about the upcoming day. **"Well, I think I'm short on some cash and it would be nice to get some morning exercise."** Kuro remembered that he would usually go the Kage of the village and do some missions for them in exchange for some cash. "I'll go to Tsunade and ask her for a mission. It'll be perfect. So that's what today will be for." He said as he turned off the water.

Kuro stepped out of the shower and got dressed. He headed out the door but stopped by the shop to say bye to Teuchi and Ayame. When he got to the front only Teuchi was there. "Teuchi, I'm heading out to the Hokage Tower I'll be back when I can, see you later and tell Ayame bye for me."

"Well, before you go, you should eat something." Teuchi called out.

Kuro had totally forgotten to eat that morning. "Alright."

He entered the shop and ate his usual meal. As he sat down, he noticed someone to his far left side that looked like someone he knew. Still looking forward, he signaled the person to come over. The person walked over to him a bit disappointed.

"Don't try to spy on me Anko. I'll always know your there." Kuro said.

"Damn you. How did you know I was there?" Anko replied with a very child-like expression.

"I just do." He simply said.

Kuro finished his food and started heading towards the Hokage tower. Anko came over to him and started questioning him. "Where you headed?"

"Why do you wanna know?" He asked.

"Because it's my job." She replied.

Kuro stopped and looked directly at her. His jaw had tightened and Anko could tell that his eyes were of an angered expression. "What do you mean it's your job?" He asked rudely.

"Tsunade sent me to follow you and get any information about you because she wanted to take precautions about the report of you being from Akatsuki." She said.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to prove to her that I'm on her side for now." Kuro commented.

Kuro and Anko reached the Hokage Tower and headed to Tsunade's office. As they entered her office, Kuro wasted no time on his demands. "O.K. Tsunade, listen up." He started but as he looked up at her desk, he noticed that she was fast asleep.

"WAKE UP!!!" He demanded.

Tsunade quickly reacted and started fumbling on her desk. She seemed half-awake and her eyes were filled with drowsiness. "I'm up. I'm up. I'll get those papers done right away Shizune." She said. As she fully woke up she noticed who had woken her up. "Kuro…WHY DID YOU WAKE ME UP!?!" She yelled distastefully.

"Well you shouldn't be sleeping anyway." He said with some distaste in his voice also.

Tsunade knew he was right but didn't want to admit it. She gave Kuro an angered look. "Why are you here?"

"The first thing I wanted to ask you was why did you send Anko to follow me?" He replied pointing at Anko with his thumb since Anko was behind Kuro.

Tsunade looked sharply at Anko who was now looking down to the floor with a regretful face. She quickly glanced at Kuro remembering her mistake of telling him her mission.

Tsunade then answered his question coldly, "I don't know for certain if you're from Akatsuki or not so I took my precautions." Kuro understood that being the Hokage of the village meant to take the people's protection as a number one priority so naturally she didn't want to run any risks.

"Well Anko report in. Am I dangerous or not." Kuro said as he turned to Anko who was still a little frustrated.

"Hokage," she began with a bow, "through all of my investigation I could not judge if he is still safe to trust or not."

"Thanks a lot." Kuro said sarcastically as he turned his attention back at Tsunade, still angry.

"Thank you Anko. Well," Tsunade started as she turned her attention towards Kuro, "is their anything else you need?"

Kuro was unsure if he should continue on but he decided to back down. "Yeah, one last thing, when I'm in a village and I'm short on cash, I usually go to the Kage or King and ask for a mission to do in exchange for money. Now, as you can guess, I'm going to ask you that same favor."

Tsunade raised one eyebrow as she spoke, "You want me to give you an official mission from this village?" There was a big hint of sarcasm in her voice as she said this. "You must be joking."

As she finished that last remark, a sudden shockwave traveled through the air. It was a special technique that Kuro had created. He would gather up his chakra inside his body. As he continued to gather the chakra; he would compress it into a small ball causing a tremendous amount of pressure. As he finished gathering the amount of chakra he wanted, he would release it all at once causing a shockwave-type discharge.

This technique was invisible to the naked eye. The people within the blast radius would experience an incredible loss in energy and mobility. Kuro had used this technique that he called Pressurized Chakra Pulse. (PCP)

As the PCP traveled through the room, both Anko and Tsunade felt its monstrous strength. Anko, being so close to Kuro, fell to her knees due to the massive loss of energy. She started coughing violently and was breathing deeply. Tsunade, being much more skilled and of a farther distance, was only shocked by the shockwave but still lost some energy and was breathing heavily.

"I was being serious." Kuro said bitterly. He had gotten completely infuriated with Tsunade and wanted his message delivered clearly. He could feel his nails digging into his fists as he squeezed them from anger.

Tsunade had to take a moment to recover from the blast. She now knew that Kuro meant business and that he had no intentions of joking around. She began to speak, "Who do you think you are trying to get a mission from use. We barely know you and even if we sent you on a mission we wouldn't know what type of strength you have."

"You just experienced a small dose of my strength, didn't you?" Kuro responded.

Anko finally got off the floor and stood up. She was still having trouble breathing but managed to speak.

"What the hell was that?"

Kuro gave no response but continued to wait on Tsunade.

"_**Who is this kid?"**_ Tsunade thought. _**"Well if that truly was a "small dose" of his power then he must be something else."**_

"If you want a mission then we're going to have to get all of your information and put you on file." Tsunade finally said out loud.

"Fine. If it can't be avoided." Kuro replied. Kuro seemed to calm down from his past agitation and was now more at ease.

"Well first things first. We're going to have to put you in a match." Tsunade said with a smile on her face that yelled pure evil.

"A match," Kuro said surprised but didn't mind the idea of a fight, "O.K. then bring it on."

"Who is he going to fight Tsunade?" Anko said.

"One of our brand-new Jonin, Neji Hyuga." Tsunade proclaimed.

Anko's face turned upside down. Her mouth was left wide open as she asked, "Tsunade, are you sure you want to put him up against a Jonin?" Anko couldn't believe that she was taking Kuro so seriously.

"Are you underestimation me Anko or do you want me to remind you about what just happened?" Kuro mentioned with a slight sound of anger in his voice.

Tsunade was still uneasy about the issue as well. "_**Lets see if we can trust him**_." She thought.

"I'll arrange for the fight this afternoon so you'd better come back." She told Kuro.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be there, just make sure that you have a medical squad for Neji." Kuro proclaimed: with that he left Tsunade's office to prepare for the afternoons "exercise".

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**A/N: **Ok well that was somewhat interesting.

Next: The fight begins.


	4. The Fight Begins

**Michel - **Sups everyone. Well After much "stuff" (lack of a proper word) it finally up.

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**Disclaimer **- I don't own Nauto. **

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As Kuro put on his coat and loaded up his kunai, he began to think about the upcoming battle. He had heard about the Hyuga clan before. They were the only clan to have the Byakugan power. It was their Blood-line Limit. From what Kuro had heard, the Byakugan gave the user the ability to see through solid objects and in a 360° rotation. Another ability of the Byakugan is that it can see other people's chakra network. In this network, the person's chakra would flow to different spots of the body. Kuro knew that there were specific spots on everyone's chakra network that, if hit, would misbalance the network and cause the damaged area to weaken and not be able to release any chakra. These spots on the chakra network are extremely small and can only be seen with the Byakugan. The Hyuga clan uses a specific fighting style called, the Gentle Fist, to hit these spots and take down their opponent. Kuro could already tell that this was going to be an interesting battle.

Anko came bursting into the room yelling at Kuro, "O.K. GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND LET'S GO!!!!!!"

"What are you all excited about? You're not the one doing the fighting." Kuro said calmly.

"I know, it's just that when a fight is about to happen I get all energized." Anko said with a smile of excitement.

"Well hold your horses; we have to get there for the fight to begin." Kuro exclaimed.

Anko and Kuro left the Ramen Shop and headed to the Hokage tower. As they walked there, they were both quietly thinking about what was about to happen. Anko was excited about the performance but then her attention turned towards Kuro. She already knew about Neji but she had never seen Kuro fight. The only type of strength he had shown was back at Tsunade's office but that example was a strong one. Outside of that, she didn't know what to expect. As Anko stared at Kuro from behind; she began to daydream about what he could possibly do.

When they got to the arena Anko quickly to her seat on the balcony and began to scream, "ALRIGHT, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!"

Tsunade and other council members were already on the opposite balcony. Tsunade got off her chair and began, "Welcome. Now I want to make this a nice clean fight. "She said quickly but then whispered, "If that's even possible." Tsunade then directed her comments to Kuro, "Kuro, remember that this is an evaluation so all aspects of your fighting will be judged."

Kuro gave a nod showing that he understood the conditions of the fight. There was one referee on the battle floor and others around the floor.

He still had one more question before they began.

"Where's my opponent?" As he finished speaking, the doors behind him opened up.

A tall, long haired boy walked in. He had a white robe on and white pants. He wore another gray robe on his waist. Instantly, Kuro noticed the Byakugan eyes. They had a lavender color with no pupils.

"He's right there." Tsunade pointed out.

"**_This is going to be interesting_**." Tsunade thought as she took her seat. She gave a very distinguishing smirk.

"So you're Neji Hyuga." Kuro said as he took his position on the opposite side of Neji. "Nice to meet you." He said sarcastically. Kuro's muscles and mind were already focusing on the battle.

Neji examined Kuro but was especially interested on he's forehead protector covering his eyes. "Tsunade are you sure this is fair." Neji said.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"Can he even see?" Neji continued.

"OF COURSE I CAN SEE! WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Kuro proclaimed.

"Whatever, let's get this fight over with already." Neji said. "Hopefully you'll be worth my time."

"Oh trust me; I'll be more then worthy." Kuro said.

Kuro clutched his fists together, already getting excited by this match.

As the referee came to the center of the floor he explained the rules and began the fight.

"Now then, begin." He declared.

Neji got into his Gentle Fist stance and prepared himself. Kuro put his hands into his coat pockets and didn't move. It was quiet for a moment and with the passing time the air started to weight on everyone's head.

"Since this is my evaluation I'll have to give a good show." Kuro exclaimed. "So for fighting style number one…" Kuro got into a kick boxer-type stance. "Taijutsu!"

Instantly, Kuro had completely disappeared for not even a second. Neji couldn't believe his eyes. Taijutsu was hand-to-hand combat and for him to just disappear was incomprehensible. The millisecond after his disappearance he returned, in front of Neji with his right hand ready.

Anko couldn't understand it either. **_"He just ran at lest 50 yards in under a second." _**Anko thought.

"Boo." Was the last thing Neji heard before feeling Kuro's first punch.

Kuro first hit Neji's head and then worked on the body. Neji was still confused about what was happening. Kuro gave a second of preparation before ended it with a strong final right. The last hit sent Neji flying back and eventually crashing into the wall.

Kuro ran forward again, but not as fast as before, yelling, "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!"

Tsunade couldn't believe her eyes at Kuro's incalculable speed. "**_The only person that is that fast is Rock Lee and that's without his weights_**."

Neji was given no time to react after the crash. Kuro came up to him and started his barrage of punches. Neji couldn't see anything. He was trying to find an opening in Kuro's attack to be able to defend himself. When he found one, he brought out his kunai and went in for the counterattack. Kuro saw the counter coming, so he backed himself away from Neji and front flipped so his can attach himself to the wall. In his new position above Neji, he saw a way to attack.

"Nice try." Kuro muttered as he grabbed Neji's shirt and tossed him over his back causing Neji to crash into the wall again.

Neji gave a loud grown when he hit the wall. He seemed like a rag doll getting tossed around. Not wanting the "fun" to end, Kuro grabbed Neji off the wall before he fell and put him in front of himself. As gravity did its thing, Kuro located his knee on Neji's back and they came crashing down to the floor.

When they hit the floor, Kuro automatically jumped off Neji and returned to his original starting position of the fight. Neji laid on a pile of crumbled floor that was covered by dust. He could feel the warm, red liquid begin to leave his mouth.

Anko was left speechless at the site of Neji getting tossed around so easily. She was holding onto the rail of the balcony tightly with her eyes wide open showing a feeling of fear and confusion. **_"I've never seen anyone take down Neji so easily. Neji didn't even get a chance to fight back." _**She****began to****think. Her eyes then turned to Kuro as she continued her thoughts, **_"Who the hell is this kid? I've never seen anyone with that much speed, maneuverability, and power. He's like a monster." _**

****

Kuro stared at the dust cloud in front of him. "Is it already over." He asked himself but just at that moment he heard Neji yell out, "EMPTY PALM!!!"

It was a long-range attack that Neji used while Kuro was distracted. It was based on focusing chakra to the users palm and releasing it as a bullet shot. Kuro was sent flying back but was able to stop himself before hitting the wall.

****

Kuro stood motionless but was giving a cocky grin. "Is that all you got Neji?" Kuro asked.

Neji was not going to let Kuro go so easily. Even though physically he was extremely tired and was already bleeding he didn't want to back down. "No, it isn't because I haven't even shown you my strength." He remarked.

"Show me then." Kuro said delightfully.

With that, Neji ran up to Kuro and began to attack him. Punches and kicks flew left and right but as much as Neji tried nothing seemed to hit him. Neji started to get angry and went in for the first blow. "Eight-Trigrams: 64 Palms!" Neji yelled. Kuro was surprised by Neji's ability to use a technique in the condition his in, which caused him to bring his guard down. Neji unleashed his attack on Kuro's chakra points. As Neji hit the last chakra point, he gave the hit some extra force causing Kuro to hit the wall. Neji's Byakugan, which was activated while using the technique, allowed him to see just to what extent Kuro's body was affected. As he examined Kuro, he notices that all of his chakra points were "turned off." Neji smiled to himself at his successes. As Kuro got off the wall, he looked at Neji first and then back down to his chest.

"**_Did he get him_**?" Anko wondered.

Tsunade and the council members were taking notes and they too were animated at Neji's strike.

Kuro finally stopped looking at his chest and looked directly at Neji. "You hit me." He said in a very confused voice.

"Of course I did and with that this match is over." Neji replied smiling but his smile suddenly faded.

"Really?" Kuro said as he looked back down to his chest with a devilish smirk. At that moment, a gust of wind swept the room as Kuro started controlling his chakra. Neji was in complete shock. "**_He shouldn't be able to gather any chakra after that technique_**." Kuro's chakra was swirling around him. It was a blue color, just like the average-colored chakra. Kuro focused his chakra to his chakra network. Neji couldn't believe his eyes, Kuro was reactivating his chakra points forcefully by sending massive amounts of chakra to every point. After a couple of seconds, Kuro's chakra network was back to normal.

Kuro brought his head up to look at Neji. "It looks fine to me." He said with a very sarcastic tone.

**_"Where in the hell did he get all of that chakra from?"_** Neji thought. As he stared right at Kuro, he could see that he was at a disadvantage. **_"Only one other person has been able to get out of that technique successfully. If he can do that then my whole fighting style is thrown off." _**

****

"Well, I think that I've done enough taijutsu." Kuro said as he put his hands back into his coat pocket. "It's time for fighting style number two…" Kuro then brought his left hand out of its hiding place and stretch it out to his side. "Ninjutsu!" Chakra stared to come out of his sleeve and form around his hand.

Neji could feel the panic inside him grow. As the drops of fear started to leave his body, all he could think of was, **_"What the hell am I going to do now?"_**

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**Michel - **Well chapter 5 won't be up for a while since I have to kick of the other story but just to give you a hint: someone's going to go through a near death experience and someone else will have something given back to them. You review I rewrite back. Much Love. 


	5. And the Winner is

**A/N: **Ok Everyone Like I said I'm posting with personal edits. If something is wrong then tell me so.

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**Disclaimer:I don't own Nauto.**

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"Anko, you look surprised."Kuro said still standing with his arm extended and chakra coming out of his sleeve.

Anko had her mouth wide open with a very baffled look on her face. When she realized that Kuro was speaking to her, she shook her head vigorously. "What? I wasn't expecting you to be able to do anything." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, thanks a lot for the confidence booster."He replied.

As Neji stood on the opposite side of Kuro on the battle floor, he took notice at Kuro's conversation. _**"Why is Kuro focusing on Anko instead of the battle? Well, it doesn't matter. If he keeps this up, I can catch him off guard." **_Neji thought.

"Who said I was supposed to be on your side?" Anko asked while shrugging her shoulders.

"Well since you're my stalker and all I naturally assumed…" Kuro started but was cut off with Anko screaming, "I'M NOT STALKING YOU!!!"

Kuro gave a vibrant laugh. Anko thought for a moment about his reaction. _**"This is the first time I seem him happy or even laughing for that fact. He's been serious all this time." **_

Kuro observed Anko while he laughed and noticed that she was in some deep thought. _**"What could that woman be thinking of?" **_He thought but at that moment Neji threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it towards him.

Kuro brought his left hand over his chest and a flash appeared. Neji was blinded for a second by the light but as his sight recovered he saw the kunai and the explosive tag on the floor cut in two. When he looked up, he saw that the chakra that was on Kuro's hand was now hardened to form as blade.

"Good job Neji. You saw that I let my guard down." Kuro said. "But I was already prepared to attack just in case. This is a technique that I created thanks to my superior chakra control. What I did was summon my chakra around my hand and then I crystallized it by applying pressure and heat. As a result, I get this sword that is stronger and sharper then diamond itself. I call it, The Chakra Sword."

As Neji analyzed the swords he concluded that the swords wouldn't last long because of so much chakra use. "If their as strong as you say they are, then come and show me." He said as he got back into his Gentle Fist stance.

"Gladly." Kuro said before dashing forward and attacking Neji with his sword.

Up on a balcony, one of the council members whispered to Tsunade, "Where did you pick up this kid?"

"I didn't. He basically came to us." Tsunade began while she remembered all of the events. "From the report I got from Anko, he came into the village to meet the ramen shop owner Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. When one of the doormen saw him, he thought that Kuro was part of Akatsuki so, he reported him in and our ANBU agents got him and brought him to my office. We spoke there about the matter, but he denied the possibility. I still didn't trust him after we spoke, so I sent Anko to investigate. Today, he came into my office asking why I had sent Anko to follow him and I had to tell him why. After that, he asked me to give him a mission from the village to do and in exchange we would pay him."

"So you agreed and now we have to evaluate him." The council member pointed out.

"No, I haven't fully put my trust in him, but by the look of his strength, he exceeds the strength of a Jonin so he might be useful." Tsunade remarked. As the council members agreed about the value of Kuro working for Konoha, they redirected their focus back on Kuro's evaluation.

When Tsunade looked at the battle floor she noticed that Neji already had a few deep cuts on his body but Kuro seemed perfect. _**"That technique he uses requires the user to have some very good chakra control. His ability to control both his chakra and that sword seems to be at a very high level." **_Tsunade noted this thought on her clipboard.

Neji was running out of chakra and he saw that Kuro's Chakra Swords were not going to give out. _**"If I can lure him in, I still have a chance for one more attack." **_As Neji dodged the next attack he quickly positioned himself behind Kuro, catching him off guard again, and going into his final attack stance. "Eight Trigram: Heavenly Spin!"

"Shit." Kuro whispered to himself as he got hit by the technique. Kuro tried shielding himself with his coat and his swords while he jumped back to get away from Neji but he still suffered some deep cuts on his body. When Neji finished his technique his low chakra status was apparent.

Kuro deactivated his Chakra Swords, took his coat off, and put it up in front of him to examine it. It was cut up in many different places. After he finished looking at it he dropped it on the floor. "Dude man, that was like my favorite coat. I had to go to like seven different towns to finally get that coat." Kuro said with a frustrated tone.

"Why the hell are you complaining about you're coat for?" Anko asked irritated by Kuro childish reaction to his coat.

"But I really liked that coat." Kuro stated with an even more childish tone and look but it didn't last. "Well Neji, I guess I owe you one for cutting up my coat. So moving on to the final, fighting style number three." Kuro said seriously.

"Let me guess, genjutsu." Neji asked. He was breathing heavily and Kuro saw that he was running out of chakra.

"Precisely, now give me a moment so I can stretch." Kuro said and started to do some trunk twists.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN STRETCH? YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH!!!!" Anko proclaimed.

"What? I haven't used this technique in about a week and I wanted to show my best so I'm preparing for it. Plus, I wanted to give Neji some breathing time." Kuro said.

When Kuro finished stretching, he went back to his starting position and started to flicker his wrists as if he was shaking something off. "Well Tsunade, I should tell you that I am the best at assassination missions." He said.

"_**HE'S AN ASSASIN!" **_The thought swept throughout the room.

"The reason for that is because of the combination of my speed and of this technique." As Kuro finished speaking, he stopped flicking his wrists and started doing different hand seals but at immeasurable speed.

"_**He goes millions of times faster then Kakashi. He must be doing hundreds of hand seals." **_Anko thought with an astonished look on her face.

Exactly five seconds after he began his hand seals, he stopped and clapped his hands together.

"_**What did he just create that needed that many hand seals?" **_Neji thought but his question was quickly answered.

Kuro brought his hands apart slowly, revealing some type of black clothing. When he fully extended his hands apart, he quickly grabbed the item, threw it over his shoulders and tied it around his neck. "This, my friends, is something I call; The Cloak of Darkness."

"_**The cloak of what? This must be another creation of his." **_Anko thought while rolling her eyes. _**"How many techniques has he created?"**_

"Well without further delay, I'll explain the strength of this cloak with the combination of my speed. As you all saw, I am already fast but that isn't my fastest. I have three different releases when it comes to my speed. The one you all saw was my Initial Release. I will demonstrate this again." When Kuro finished talking he then proceeded to run at his initial release state. "Tell me something Neji how many of me do you see?" Kuro asked.

Neji didn't want to answer but felt forced to. "I see at lest three of you running around the battle floor."

"Exactly. At my Initial Release my opponent sees a maximum of five of me depending on the skill level. Tsunade you should be able to see only one." Kuro said.

Tsunade nodded in compliance to Kuro's statement. _**"If Neji sees three of him now, imagine him later." **_She thought.

"To keep things moving, I will now show everyone my Secondary Release." Kuro proclaimed. Kuro moved his forehead protector on his forehead but kept his eyes shut. He was running hundreds of times faster then before. "Hey Neji, how many do you see now?" He asked.

Neji clutched his fists together because of the anger that Kuro was causing him. "I can't count them all. They're everywhere." He said.

"You should be seeing hundreds of me right now; even you Tsunade." Kuro remarked.

Tsunade dropped a sweat as she thought, _**"I see thousands of him. How the hell can someone go that fast?"**_

"And now…the Final Release." Kuro said slowly. As the word "Release" rolled off his tongue, he began to open his eyes slowly but Neji was only able to see something red. He moved faster and faster until he disappeared.

"_**Where…did…he…go?" **_Neji thought. _**"It's impossible for him to just vanish. I can't even see him with my Byakugan."**_Everyone in the room stood quite, trying to understand the situation.

"What, you can't see me? Because I see all of you." Kuro's voice spoke out. He was nowhere to be seen but his voice vibrated throughout the room. "At my Final Release, I move too fast for the eye or even brain to comprehend. So what all of your brains do is delete me from your vision."

"That's amazing." Anko whispered to herself. Anko understood what Kuro said about the speed but for anyone to be ABLE to go that fast is astounding.

"If you think that's amazing Anko then look at this." Kuro called out. Anko was surprised at Kuro had heard her.

Neji stood shiftless on the battle floor worried about Kuro's next plan of attack. _**"I can't detect him. How am I supposed to defend myself?" **_He thought.

The room started to tremble as Kuro came into sight about 50 yards in front of Neji. "My speed plus this cloak equals death." Kuro said coldly. Kuro, still moving at incredible speed, came up to Neji and rapped him in the cloak. After his entire body was in the cloak, Kuro tied it so Neji couldn't escape.

Kuro completely stopped in the middle of the arena, with his forehead protector on its original position. He had Neji, in the cloak, thrown over his left shoulder like a bag of garbage. "So, let me explain how this is an assassin's attack." Kuro began. "First off, because of my speed I can be almost anywhere at anytime whenever I chose too. With this at my disposal, I can put my opponent in the cloak and they wouldn't even know it. The power of this cloak is that it puts whoever's in it into a genjutsu. The controlled person's mind goes into a world that is pitch-black. They don't hear, see, feel, taste, or smell anything. They are completely venerable to my attacks. For example…" Kuro activated his chakra sword and started to stab into the cloak. The cloak was easily penetrated and the blade went in. When Kuro's sword came out it was covered in blood.

"Is that Neji's blood?" Tsunade said as she stood up from her chair. She was frightened by the sight of Neji's venerable state.

"Of course it is. Who do you think I'm stabbing?" Kuro said as he continued to stab at the cloak.

"Kuro stop it. You're going to kill Neji if you keep doing that." Anko called out. She was as frightened as Tsunade was.

Kuro brought his sword out of the cloak and deactivated it. He then untied the cloak and dropped Neji on the floor. Everyone was shot with a cannonball of fear at the sight of Neji on the floor, covered in blood and with some extremely cut in his body.

The medics came running to Neji's aid as they saw him in a life-threatening position. "Don't worry; he's unconscious so he doesn't feel anything right now."

Tsunade jumped off the balcony and went straight up to Kuro. She started to scream at him. "HOW CAN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? THIS WAS AN EVALUATION NOT A LIFE OR DEATH FIGHT!!!!!"

"I know. I know." Kuro replied rather calmly.

"WELL IF YOU KNEW THAT THEN WHY WOULD YOU PUT NEJI IN THIS STATE?" Tsunade said as she continued to scold at Kuro.

Kuro saw that Tsunade was furious. He then turned his sights on Neji that was on the floor nearly dying. _**"OK I might have gone too far." **_He thought. He then saw that Anko had gotten off the balcony and started to help the medics.

Now Anko was the one that was scolding at him by saying, "Damn it Kuro. What the hell were you thinking putting Neji into this type of condition? As a ninja, or should I say, as a HUMAN you should help him too!"

Kuro clutched his right hand tightly as Anko's words sunk in. Kuro then had an old memory come into his head that he had completely forgotten. The memory was just of a red haired woman in a rocking chair inside of a cave. Kuro couldn't see her face but all she said was_**,"You are here to help people. Always remember that."**_ The woman had a soft voice, that of an angel to Kuro.

"_**Mom?" **_He thought.

When Kuro come back to reality, his fist was no longer closed and his body was at ease. He gave a smirk to himself and started to reply to Tsunade. "I'm sorry Tsunade. I'll fix him."

Tsunade was confused. _**"Fix him? How's he going to do that?" **_She thought.

Kuro began walking towards Neji while doing some hand seals. "Medics move out of the way I got him." The medics saw the fight and were scared of Kuro so they quickly moved out the way.

"What are you going to do?" Anko asked.

"Cure him." Kuro said with a reassuring smile on his face.

Kuro finished his hand seals and put both of his hands over Neji. His left hand was on top of his right to create an X. Green healing chakra came out of his hands and created a blade pointing downward to Neji. Kuro then thruster the blade slowly into Neji but the blade didn't penetrate him, instead when it touched his body it spread like a ripple of water caused by a stone. When Kuro's palm touch Neji's chest, a big flash brightened the room. When the flash subsided, everyone refocused their eyes to Neji. Miraculously, Neji was full recovered with no cut, bruises or anything. He looked completely refreshed.

"_**How the hell did he do that?" **_Tsunade thought. She was completely marveled by Kuro's healing abilities.

"Hey Neji, you OK?" Kuro asked.

Everyone stood quite waiting for a response. Sure enough, Neji started to come too.

"Kuro?" He asked still feeling dizzy.

Kuro got up and presented his left hand to Neji. "Let me help you up. Feeling better?" Neji took his hand and stood up. Tsunade was still trying to understand what happened.

"Are you OK Neji?" Anko asked.

Neji replied, "Yeah, I feel fine. Somehow my body is completely healed."

"Well Neji I think our fight here is done." Kuro began,"You have a good fighting style. Also your quick reactions and your technique are good. Keep working hard on them. You'll become a very strong ninja one day." With that final statement, Kuro headed out the door.

As Kuro was walking out the door, he waved out to Tsunade. "I'll go talk to you tomorrow about the evaluation." He said and then made a quick exit.

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**A/N: **Ok I have to admit I made him look TOO good but theirs a reason why he's that good. 

Next: Slowing things down from fighting. Anko finds something that she didn't expect to find.


	6. Emptiness

**A/N: **Finally. It's up. It has been years but finally. It's almost finished (the entire story) and a great friend of mine has given up some of her time to help me out with the editing Everyone Give thanks to her. Hope you like it. Get ready to see something different then normal. Have fun.

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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"Anko, did you hear me? The mission is over." Tsunade repeated to Anko.

It was the day after Kuro's evaluation. He and Anko had gotten up early to go hear Tsunade's response. As they walked over to the Hokage Tower, Kuro wanted to know why she was going with him. She simply stated that she was as curious as he was to know what he got. He just nodded and continued walking. When they got there, Tsunade seemed to be exceedingly busy. She seemed to show no patience with Kuro, possibly because of yesterday's incident. All she said was that she would correctly file Kuro as a possible ninja worker. She then dismissed him but told Anko to stay. It was then that Tsunade told Anko that her mission to gather information about Kuro was over. She felt…empty for some reason. She was standing in front of her Hokage with a very shocked look on her face.

"Anko, are you ok?" Tsunade asked.

Anko quickly snapped out of her subconscious state and responded. "Oh, um, I'm sorry Tsunade I heard you."

Tsunade just raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Ok, well as for right now you don't have any missions so you may leave" she said.

Anko was about to leave before her mouth spoke without her consent, "If I may ask Tsunade. Why did you cancel the mission?"

"I'm putting Kuro into a prime possible threat of the village. Someone like him shouldn't be let go that easily. I will have ANBU agents follow him and make sure he doesn't cause any problems."

"What makes you think he will cause ANY problems?" Anko said through her subconscious.

Tsunade just sighed. "There is more to him then meets the eye. I don't trust him."

Anko looked away from Tsunade's stare. She then turned and left the office. As she got onto the streets she stared to walk around aimlessly. She was caught in deep thought. _**"The mission's over. I should be relieved that I don't have to follow him anymore. But why aren't I?"**_

"Hey Anko, what'd Tsunade say?" Kuro asked.

Anko then noticed that her aimless walking brought her to Teuchi's shop. _**"Force of habit." **_She then responded to Kuro, "Oh, nothing just some paperwork stuff." She gave him a nice bright smile.

"Ok then come on in, you still have reports to write about me right" Kuro said in a jocular tone?

Anko became saddened again. She couldn't understand this sudden feeling of depression. "No, I'd rather not," she said coldly before walking away. _**"I have to find out why I'm feeling like this."

* * *

**_

"I came as fast as I could. You sounded really messed up on the phone," Kurenai said while breathing heavily.

Earlier, Anko had returned to her apartment where she went directly to her bed and lay down. She felt really tired and needed to get her mind off things. She ended up sleeping for about an hour. When she woke, she decided to get some help so she called Kurenai.

Anko stood at her door. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"Don't worry about it. Is everything ok?" Kurenai asked.

"Yea I'm fine but come on in." She gestured for Kurenai to enter.

As Kurenai walked in, Anko closed the door behind her. Both women then went straight to the table and had a seat. Anko said, "I'll make some tea and I'll be right back."

As Kurenai waited for Anko, she started to think of the possible things that could have happened. _**"On the phone she sounded kind of desperate. What could possibly be wrong? And making tea? She hates MAKING it. This must be something serious."**_

As Anko returned to the room, she brought with her a tray with a pot of tea and two small cups. "Sorry I dragged you all the way out here right after work," Anko said as she laid down the tray.

"Don't worry about it."

Anko started to pour tea into both cups. There was an awkward feeling in the air as both women drank from their cups. Kurenai watched Anko attentively to see if she could find anything different about her.

Anko abruptly said, "I need to ask you something."

Kurenai sat hesitant. She didn't know what this question could be. She felt a bit scared but gave a nod to show her attention had been given to Anko.

"When you're with someone for a while—and that person treats you nicely, buys you thinks, and cares about you—is it normal to feel depressed after you can't see them as often?"

Automatically Kurenai knew who she was talking about. She exploded into a panic of laughter. Anko had talked about Kuro to Kurenai many times so by now she understood it all. Anko just sat still and speechless. She was being completely serious and Kurenai just started to laugh. When Kurenai picked up on Anko's reaction she quickly switched her behavior and straightened up.

"I know what you mean" Kurenai said softly. "When Asuma leaves for missions I miss him a lot and I often find myself really sad."

"But I'm not dating Ku..." Anko quickly shut her mouth before exposing the truth behind it all.

But she didn't fool Kurenai. "Well you might as well be dating Kuro. You've been with him almost every day. You two understand each other at levels were a relationship would be."

Anko reflected on Kurenai's words. Everything she said was true but she just couldn't picture herself, for the first time, liking someone. That feeling hadn't even crossed her mind since before what happened with her because of Orochimaru. The feeling had a certain awkwardness to it but somewhere in it was a hint of happiness. Finally, she could feel the average person's feelings. She thought that probably the thing that hit her most was not the fact that Kuro was going to be given over to the ANBU, but that she had lost her chance to be with him.

Kurenai continued to talk about her experiences and how she could understand Anko. Anko was quiet the entire time so she could absorb all of the knowledge her friend was trying to share with her.

"Well, it's time I head home to try and find that big baby of mine," Kurenai proclaimed as she got up and headed towards the door. Anko got up and opened the door for her. As the door swung open, there was Kuro standing at the door with his fist raised in such a manner that it looked like he was about to knock.

"Hey you" he said.

Anko just stood shocked. _**"What's he doing here?" **_

"Well excuse me but I have to go" Kurenai said as she headed out the door. "Good luck" she whispered to Anko as she left.

When Kurenai was out of sight Kuro gave Anko a warm smile and said, "Heard your job to watch me was changed."

"Yeah."

The freezing atmosphere started to surround everything. Kuro could tell something was up so he chose his words carefully. "When I found out I went directly to Tsunade to change it but she refused so I sent those ANBU agents on a little trip around the country trying to find my clone." Kuro gave a long pause before saying, "I didn't want to lose you and our time together."

Anko lost her breathe for a second. What was this new side of Kuro that she was seeing? It just didn't make any sense. Was what he was saying true? She had so many questions but she only knew one thing—he wanted to be with her. If that meant just as friends or something more she didn't know but for now it didn't matter.

"What about Tsunade? Just because you tricked the agents doesn't mean that she'll reassign me to my old mission" Anko asked.

Kuro just gave his regular grin. It was that grin that proclaimed that he had a plan. "I'm going over to talk to her right now and tell her straight up that I will keep tricking all of her agents and keep my mouth zipped if she doesn't put you back with me."

Kuro then turned and started heading to the Hokage tower. Anko stood shiftless for a brief moment before she grabbed her things and headed out the door after him.

* * *

"I already told you no," Tsunade said as gave an angered stare at Kuro. She was already getting tired of Kuro's requests. Then she had a question for him, "Exactly where are my ANBU agents?"

Again, the famous grin arose. "Somewhere bordering the Hidden Sound Village" Kuro said calmly.

_**"Shit" **_Tsunade thought. _**"He's probably using them as a bargaining chip to get me to change my mind. I still wonder something—why is he going so far to just change who's in charge of watching him and getting information from him?" **_Tsunade gave a long sigh, seeing that she was forced against a wall. "Fine, I'll change it but the ANBU better be unharmed."

"You have my word." Kuro said as he turned around and left the office. When he got outside Anko quickly pounced on him. They both fell onto the ground and laid there for a few seconds. "I'm guessing that you were listening in on the conversation."

"I was at the window" Anko said with a bright smile.

"Well now that everything is back to normal lets go get something to eat. I'm starving" Kuro said as he got up and held out a hand for Anko. Anko took it happily and they started walking.

As they walked, Anko thought for a moment about the day. She had discovered something new about herself. She discovered a new feeling inside her. She didn't know where it may take her, but for now she was happy and that's all she needed.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok it definitely was different but I'll tell you this. Rising action starts next chapter. The climb to the real thing is coming so hope you have fun. Next chapter: We met an old friend of Kuro's, or should I say Black.


	7. Meet Black

**A/N: **Hi there everyone. It's up. Pretty fast right? Thanks to a good friend of mine. Hopefully I can complete this story and move on. So many things to writre so little time. Have fun.

* * *

The following day, Anko walked into the Ramen shop and said, "Morning Teuchi, is Kuro here?" It was around 9 o'clock. The sun was already up as well as the majority of the people of Konoha. Not much was happening in the streets except for various employees heading to work.

"Yes, he's in the back getting dressed." Teuchi responded, and then yelled, "HEY KURO, YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S HERE!!!" It had become a daily routine for Anko to show up at the Ramen Shop at that same time every day. With Anko re-assigned to her mission, she tagged along with Kuro wherever he went, which she seemed to enjoy more now that she found a new friendly feeling for him inside her. She still wasn't quite sure about it, but it made her happy. But she still didn't think she was anything like Kuro's "girlfriend."

"HEY, Teuchi…" she said while giving him an irritated look.

"I know it's just kind of funny that you're always with him now. One wouldn't be wrong to assume that you two had something going on."

"TELL HER I'LL BE RIGHT OUT!" Kuro bellowed from somewhere inside the shop.

Teuchi saw that she had heard Kuro when she gave him a nod. He asked, "Since you're here would you like some breakfast?"

"No, I don't want to become a bother."

"It's not a bother at all. Here, this one's on the house," Teuchi said as he handed Anko some ramen with egg.

"Well, if you insist," Anko said as she clapped her hands and said, "Thank you for the meal."

As Anko ate, she started to think about how things had progressed for Kuro. He was now able to move freely around the village. The day after the evaluation, Kuro was placed on file as a fully fledged ninja from the village. He hadn't been given a mission yet, but Anko's mission to follow him was still in effect.

Anko thoughts began to wander around what Teuchi had said. It has been about a week and a half since Anko had been with Kuro. It was true that they were spending a lot of time together (more then before the reassignment) and Kuro had even been buying her gifts and taking her out to eat and it started to cross her mind that they could possibly look like a couple.

"Hey Anko, I got a surprise for you," Kuro said as he came into the shop's kitchen. He looked squeaky clean like he just got out of the shower and his clothes looked like they just they just came out of the dryer.

"Hum?" She replied as she was gobbling down some noodles.

"But I can't show you here."

"Oh! Where are you taking her today, Kuro?" Teuchi suggested friskily.

"Stop joking around Teuchi." Kuro raised his fist in a show of playful anger.

"What, you never know what a couple could be up too?" Teuchi added.

"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" Anko and Kuro replied in unison, even though they looked toward each other after they said it.

"OK, OK. Don't kill me for making a joke." Teuchi said as he raised his arms implying that he had admitted defeat.

When Anko finished her breakfast, she quickly got up and thanked Teuchi for the dish. Then both Kuro and Anko left the shop and Kuro lead the way to a nice quiet bar. As they took their seats in a booth in the corner, away from other customers, Kuro began to unravel his little surprise.

Kuro began, "Well as you already know, I cover my eye's 24-7."

"That's obvious" Anko said sarcastically.

"Yea well, I have been able to create a technique that will change my eyes for public use," he explained. Kuro wanted to create this technique so he can walk around free from other people's mistrust in him for covering his eyes.

"It's about time," Anko replied with a sigh of relief. She had been curious about Kuro's eyes ever since they met. Anko knew that he had those animal eyes but he said they weren't active all the time. This implied that he had some other secret about his eyes.

"What? It's not as easy as it sounds," Kuro tried explaining.

"Yeah, whatever," she answered while rolling her eyes but in a jocular fashion.

With a slightly irritated air, Kuro said, "OK then fine. I won't show you."

Anko saw that he was serious and seemed aggravated by her comment. "Oh come on, I was just joking."

"Yeah right, you probably don't even care."

Anko shot back "See, now you're just being stubborn."

"I am not!" Kuro responded with a very demanding voice.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not," he hissed.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

_5 minutes later…_

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Hey you two, stop bickering like an old married couple," someone in a nearby booth said.

"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" they both said in complete harmony.

"Well, you two sure act like it!" the person continued.

When Anko got a good look at the person's face she automatically knew who it was. "Kurenai, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Nothing much, I was passing by to get a quick drink but then heard you two fighting."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about the drinks. I'll be right back." Kuro got up and headed over to the bartender.

"So Anko, have you figured out what's going on between you and Kuro yet? Lots of people are talking about him." Kurenai questioned Anko as she took Kuro's seat. Kuro had become a very popular subject in many people's conversations. It had seemed that his dark image and mysterious complexion had earned him that position of curiosity.

"Uhm, why?" she responded trying to act rather confused at her question.

"You know why! You called me over last time remember? Seriously, the whole town is talking about him…and you too."

"And me? What about me?" Anko asked. She knew that Kuro was a conversation starter but how did she fit into the picture?

"Everyone's saying that the mysterious boy that came to town about a week ago has got himself a girlfriend in the village" Kurenai stated.

"WHAT!!!" Anko screamed.

"SShh, keep it down," Kurenai said trying to calm Anko down.

Anko was baffled by this new information. _**"I guess Teuchi was right when he said that people would think we're a couple." **_Finally she said, "Tell me you're joking."

"Sad to say but I'm not," Kurenai explained, "But I wouldn't mind if I were you." Kurenai turned and eyed Kuro at the counter.

Anko said, "Oh no, don't get started." Kurenai was known to eye up other men, even though Asuma did take up most of her time. And lately, she began making it a point to always remind Anko that she was still single and that she needed to find herself a man.

Anko said, "Plus, you're with Asuma so you can't say anything,"

"What? I'm just saying that he doesn't look bad at all and it's about time you get yourself a boyfriend. Come on. You know you like him!"

"He's seventeen for God's sake!" she pointed out.

"He is?" Kurenai asked a bit shocked. She quickly looked over at Kuro again. "He looks way older. At lest early to mid 20s. But then again since when does love have an age requirement?"

"It would be child molestation!" Anko argued.

"Only if you do anything with him but there's no rule that says you can't date him," Kurenai commented. "When does he turn 18 anyway?"

"I don't know," Anko replied in a frustrated tone.

"Well, I'll ask him and then maybe you and he can get something started."

Anko said, "And who said I wanted to go out with him anyways?" She crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair to show her aggravation.

Kurenai looked at her friend and said, "Well, let's see. There was a pretty depressed sounding friend of mine who CALLED me a couple of days ago, asking questions about a certain someone! I know you're interested. I can tell."

"Just drop it already," Anko demanded. She was getting irritated by the way things were turning out in the conversation. She wanted to stop the thoughts about her and Kuro together.

"Alright but tell me, where did you get that beautiful necklace from?" Kurenai asked as she pointed to Anko's brand new necklace.

The princess sized necklace was of white gold and the pendant had two diamond curves. In the center of the diamond arcs was a pink tourmaline gem that completed the pendant and created an "A" shape.

"I bought it for her at that new jewelry store that opened up" Kuro said as he walked over to the table where the two ladies where sitting with the drinks.

On the day that the jewelry store opened, Kuro and Anko had passed by it and Anko was mesmerized by the necklace's beauty. Ironically, the gem in the middle was Anko's birthstone. Kuro saw how captivated Anko was over the necklace so while she was looking at it he went inside and bought it for her. As Anko was still bent over staring at the necklace in the window, he took the same necklace out of its box and put it around her neck. Anko was immediately infatuated with her new necklace and extremely thankful to Kuro, but he just played it off.

Kurenai just gave Anko an eyebrow lift which told her immediately exactly what she was thinking. _**"And he buy's you beautiful things. What more could you want? He's almost perfect for you. I don't know any man that would buy a friend something so expensive and not want to start a relationship."**_

Anko interrupted Kurenai's thoughts when she said, "Oh, Kuro you remember Kurenai."

"Yes, I remember," Kuro said respectfully giving Kurenai a hand shake.

"Nice to see you again," Kurenai replied.

Kurenai then quickly asked her well waited question. "So Kuro, when do you turn 18?"

"Next week, why?"

Again Kurenai gave Anko another "look" which caused Anko's cheeks to suddenly turn pink.

Kurenai said nonchalantly, "No reason just wanted to know."

Kurenai talked with Anko and Kuro for another ten minutes. She then finally started to say her goodbyes. "Well, I have to go. Someone's waiting for me at home."

"_Asuma_" Anko said while coughing.

"Alright then, it was nice seeing you again," Kuro said.

Kurenai ignored Anko's statement and left.

"Who's Asuma?" Kuro asked when Kurenai was out of hearing range.

"Asuma is Kurenai's boyfriend," she replied, "even if they haven't officially announced it." Anko began sipping her drink.

Kuro nodded and said in a sarcastic tone, "Why are the pretty ones always taken?"

Anko partially choked on her drink as she turned and asked Kuro in an agitated voice, "Are you saying that I'm not pretty?"

"I didn't say that. I didn't even know you were single!" Kuro said.

"So what? I would only be pretty if I was dating someone?" Anko asked getting madder.

"I didn't say that!" Kuro repeated as he took his seat. "But anyways back to what I was initially talking about. "

"Oh yeah, OK let me see them." Anko said in a childish matter, a little put off that Kuro had changed the subject so quickly. Then she realized that she'd completely forgotten about why they were in the bar to begin with.

"OK but give me a sec." Kuro began to do a few hand seals.

When he finished he took off his forehead protector but kept his eyes shut as he said, "You ready?"

Anko almost shouted, "Of course! You don't have the slightest idea of how curious I am about seeing you eye-to-eye."

"OK, here it goes." He quickly retracted his eyelids and revealed his light blue eyes.

"WOW. I didn't think they'd be that nice," Anko said as she looked at the bright blue looking back at her.

As Kuro's facial expression change to a disgruntled look, his eye's also changed. The colored area that was completely light blue started to show spots of dark orange on the outer rim of the pupil.

"And they change color?" Anko asked.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to control that part yet," Kuro confessed. "It changes according to my emotional status."

"So, does that mean that blue means happy and dark orange means angry?"

"No, dark orange means irritated not fully mad."

"Oh, OK. I get it." Anko replied.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone from the bar called, "Hey Black, is that you?"

As Kuro looked over to the person talking, Anko saw that his eyes changed back to entirely blue.

"Saito? Is that you?" Kuro responded.

"Black, it's been a while. How have you been?" Saito was a very tall, very skinny man. He had short black hair and wore a blue sports jacket with some joggers.

"I'm good and you? What are you doing here?"

Kuro's entire mood changed; Anko could feel it. He seemed ten times happier. She could also see it in his eyes. They were brighter then before. _**"I wonder who this is"**_ Anko thought?

Saito replied, "Just traveling around and you? I could ask you the same question."

Kuro answered, "Just came by to say hi to some old friends."

"Is this one of them?" Saito said as he pointed to Anko who had been silent the entire time.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kuro told Anko, "no, this is just a friend I meet here in the village. Saito this is Anko and Anko this is Saito. He's an old friend of mine from one of the villages I had been to."

"Oh he is? Well, it's nice to meet you," Anko said as she shook Saito's hand.

"No, for me this is an honor," Saito said with a smile on his face. Saito took quick notice at Anko's appearance. Suddenly his smile faded. "Uh, Kuro can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Kuro asked.

Saito whispered, "No, I mean privately."

"Hey, if you've got something to say you can say it right here."

"Are you sure?" Saito asked.

"Yeah."

"You won't get mad?"

"Why would I get mad?" Kuro said in a bit of a frustrated tone.

"You promise you won't get mad."

"I promise alright! Now spill it."

"OK," Saito began but hesitated before finishing his sentence, "Anko kinda looks like Mutsumi to me."

"_**Who's Mutsumi?"**_ Anko thought but when she looked at Kuro, his eyes were completely yellow. _**"I wonder what yellow means? Well, judging by his body language, it must mean surprised."**_

But the yellow color in Kuro's eyes didn't last. Like the light in darkness, Kuro's eyes immediately changed to a dark, crimson-like red. Anko could see the rage and hatred in his eyes.

Kuro quickly got up and grabbed Saito by the shirt with both hands yelling, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU SAY THAT SHIT TO ME!?!"

"Kuro?" Anko whispered. She was completely bewildered by Kuro's sudden reaction.

"You said you weren't going to get mad!" Saito screamed back at him.

Kuro gripped Saito's shirt even tighter as he remembered his promise. He then threw Saito towards the wall whispering, "You fucking lucky bastard." Kuro then headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Anko yelled out while trying to get out of the booth.

"Away from here" Kuro replied coldly. Kuro left the bar and quickly disappeared.

Anko only caught a glimpse of Kuro's face as he turned to respond. The first thing she noticed was his angered expression. The second thing she noticed was that his eyes were no longer completely red but started to become dark purple.

"_**What could have happened? Who's Mutsumi? And why did he get mad when Saito said I look like her?" **_These questions flourished in Anko's mind as she wondered where she could get her answers.

"Damn Black, he always goes overload when anyone talks about Mutsumi" Saito said as he recollected himself from Kuro's shove.

"_**The answers are right here." **_Anko though before speaking out loud, "Saito, who's Mutsumi?"

Saito just stared at Anko. They were both quiet for a second before he finally spoke, "I'm not sure if I can tell you."

"_**Just like Teuchi said before" **_Anko thought. "Why?"

"Because Black might kill me if I do," Saito said a bit worried.

Anko asked, "And another thing, why do you call him Black?"

"We call him that because when he was in our village he wore that black clothing and since no one knew him, everyone just referred to him as Black," Saito explained.

"So did that Mutsumi girl have something to do with your village while Kuro was there?" Anko tried to persist with her questions.

Saito sat in the booth with Anko. He rubbed his head before saying, "It does but before I go on any further I have to ask you something," Saito's voice was becoming serious and straight forward.

"What?"

Saito said firmly, "Are you considering having a relationship with Kuro?"

Anko began to blush again, _**"What's up with everyone today. Everyone is talking about me and Kuro. Teuchi, Kurenai, the villagers and now even Saito and he's not even form this village."**_

"W-Why do you need to know?" Anko asked hesitantly.

"Because if you are considering it, you should know some stuff about him that might change your mind," Saito clarified.

Anko was surprised to hear this. _**"What does he mean? And why is it about a relationship? Could it be that something happened between Kuro and that girl Mutsumi?"**_

"So are you considering it or not?" Saito asked again.

Anko stayed quiet as she thought to herself, _**"What should I say? If I say no, he won't tell me and this information might be useful for my reports on Kuro for Tsunade. If I say yes, he will tell me but I don't want to say I'm thinking of going out with Kuro, even though . . . Wait, what am I talking about? But still, what should I say?"**_

"Anko, answer me!" Saito said.

Anko was hesitant at first but finally said, "Yeah, I've been _thinking _about it." The word _thinking _came out rather doubtful but Saito just dismissed the idea.

"Well since you're thinking about it, and you seem like you will understand him, I guess it would be ok to tell you, but you can't repeat this to anyone ok?"

"Ok," Anko respond quietly since she was going to have to report everything.

"Ok well, if I'm going to tell you about Mutsumi and Kuro I'll have to tell you everything about Kuro. Without the background information you won't know what I'm talking about." Anko just nodded as Saito began, "First off, Kuro…he's not human."

* * *

**A/N: **Did that surprise you? It did me. Wel next up is the revealing of Kuro's past. Good luck. 


	8. Truth be Told

**A/N: **Man these things are spitting out really fast. Hope everyones enjoying them. This one is a big hitter so I won't hold you up any longer.

* * *

_**"Kuro's not human. Unbelievable, then what the hell is he?"**_ Anko thought as she sat still and was overwhelmed with shock.

"And that's not the worst yet," Saito said.

"THERE'S WORSE!" Anko yelled in disbelief. "What could be worse then finding out that he's not human?"

"Well, he is human but only a certain percentage of him is," Saito confessed.

"ONLY, a certain percentage? How is that even possible?"

"Well, it's like this," Saito began as he got more comfortable in his chair seeing as he wasn't leaving anytime soon. "Kuro was created by a ninja in this village. His name was Shinichiro. Shinichiro was essentially working for the Fourth Hokage but when he wanted to create stronger ninjas by genetically engineering what you would call _Super Soldiers _he was driven out of the village and was forced to go into hiding. Before he left though, he took with him a blood sample of the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans. While in hiding, he mixed the two clan's Bloodline Limits and a blood sample of a panther together. As an end result, he was able to create someone that had the heightened senses and strength of an animal and have two Bloodline Limits in one person."

"But wouldn't the mix of three different blood types cause them to reject each other?" Anko asked.

"Yes, normally, they would. But this man was able to put them into one single DNA structure. But something that Shinichiro didn't expect is now one of Kuro's weaknesses. During unpredictable moments, Kuro's body will start attacking itself. Because of this, Kuro can become extremely vulnerable to anyone. Shinichiro was able to come up with a serum that would stop his body from attacking itself but for an unknown period of time."

Anko stood still as she thought about this. _**"So he does have a weakness. That must be terrible to have your own body fighting itself. It's like getting killing from the inside, literally. Well, now I understand why he's so strong and can move so fast. He's basically a super soldier. And if what Saito said is true then he has both the Sharingan and the Byakugan. That must be why he covers his eyes and the reason he can see through his forehead protector."**_

"And if he doesn't take the serum? What happens?" Anko asked curiously.

"If he doesn't take the serum his body will start to deteriorate and he will definitely die a very painful death."

"Is it possible to cure him?"

"No, since it's a genetic problem if they try to fix it they would inevitably kill him in the process," Saito clarified.

Anko just nodded to show that she understood. Saito continued, "Well, after Shinichiro created the DNA he wanted he used it like sperm. He then successfully artificially inseminated his wife Aya and had her take care of the child from there."

"And she was ok with it?" Anko asked. She would've never thought of anyone that would agree with this mad scientist.

"Yes she agreed but she had a different outlook about Kuro. She wanted to create Kuro in order to protect this village."

_**"For the village?" **_Anko thought.

Saito continued with his story, "Since the created sperm combined with Aya's egg, Kuro really only has a mom. After he was born, Kuro lived in the cave that Shinichiro and Aya lived in. Shinichiro taught Kuro almost everything he needed to know about his powers. Aya provided the motherly assistance he needed. After about two years, Kuro was already maturing quickly. As his body matured so did his mind. He was aware of his powers and was trained to fight. One day, Shinichiro was discovered and the ANBU of Konoha was sent to eradicate Shinichiro and Aya. They were successful but Kuro was able to escape."

"What happened to him after he escaped?" Anko asked.

"What else was left, he lived on. Thanks to Shinichiro, Kuro learned to survive on his own. When he was 5, he met Teuchi." Saito began but was cut off with Anko saying, "Yeah, I know about that. Teuchi told me."

Saito didn't say anything to Anko but stayed in deep thought. _**"What was Kuro thinking? He actually told her about what happened with him and Teuchi. He must really trust her."**_

Saito asked, "But I bet you he didn't tell you why he left them right?"

"No, he never told me. I asked him once but all he said was because he needed to do something."

"Thought as much. Well the reason he left was because of what happened to Ayame." Saito said

"What happen to her?"

Saito said, "I don't know exactly myself but from what I've heard is that she was in great danger and he wasn't able to fully defend her so he left to go train."

"Well, after he left Teuchi he traveled all over. Moving from village to village learning any and all techniques he could find. He also fought people for experience. When Kuro came to our village, we were having a ceremony to honor the new Princess, Mutsumi."

_**"Mutsumi was a princess!" **_Anko thought in shock.

"On that day, a rival village attacked us and tried killing Mutsumi but Kuro ended up saving her. Just like Ayame, Mutsumi fell in love with Kuro that same instant. The only difference was that Kuro also fell for her."

"They were together?" Anko asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and what a couple they made. Mutsumi was always cheerful and high-spirited while Kuro seemed dark and mysterious. Yet they still managed to fall for one another."

"So what happened between them that made Kuro react so violently just now?" Anko reminded Saito of the initial reason why he was telling Kuro's story.

"Well after about a year of just dating Kuro finally got up the nerve to try and propose to Mutsumi. But sadly fate had other plains. Remember that I said that Kuro was partially created from an animal DNA?" Saito asked.

"Yeah but how does that have anything to do with it?" Anko questioned back.

"That animal DNA caused Kuro to not only gain it's abilities but also it's hunger." Anko just gave Saito a baffled look as he tried to explain. "When I say hunger I mean that he is more animalistic than others."

Anko's baffled look grew as Saito continued explaining, "There are three things that guide animals. The urge to eat, kill, and have sex. The first two go hand in hand. Kuro must kill to eat. The problem is that he can't just eat regular human food. He needs to eat raw meat. Every now and then he goes out hunting for a while to please this killing side. After he kills whatever he was hunting he eats it. This way both sides are taken care of. The last, being sex, is basically the instinct of reproduction. Instead in Kuro's case, he gains this type of sex drive that must be dispersed."

"But I don't get it. Why does he have this?" Anko questioned.

"The animal DNA caused Kuro to become more animalistic. For the eating factor, he eats raw meat. For the killing factor, he goes hunting. And for the sex factor, he…" Saito stopped and thought hard if he should tell Anko.

"For the sex factor what? Don't tell me he goes out and finds hookers and pays them to _diminish_ his sex drive," Anko said slightly irritated and sarcastic.

"Actually…that's exactly what he does," Saito said quietly.

_**"No way," **_Anko thought. She just couldn't bring herself to believe that Kuro would do such things. It was inhuman and morally wrong. "And what happens if he doesn't _control_ these factors?"

"If he doesn't have them in check he goes into what you might call a Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) type state. He blacks out and goes literally crazy. It's like someone has taken over his body. He kills whatever or whoever he sees. After killing them he eats them. If by chance he finds a woman during this state he will rape her, kill her, and then finally eat her. When he told me this I literally puked. I just couldn't stand the thought."

"I can't stand it or believe it either," Anko said a little dizzily while covering her mouth in anguish. She just couldn't take the images that her head created about Kuro doing such things. They were despicable, immoral, and more importantly inhuman. She was completely disgusted.

"But every single time I remember this, I also remember what he told me after I finished puking," Saito said as he started to look off into space.

"What did he say?" Anko asked as she emerged from her disgusted state to a curious one again.

"_If just talking about it makes you feel this bad just imagine living with it,_" Saito recited Kuro's old words.

Anko sat speechless. She hadn't thought about it that way. Of course it was disturbing and made Kuro seem like a completely insane monster that should be locked away for life, but thinking about it, she realized it really wasn't his fault. It was really Shinichiro's fault for making him. He didn't ask to be given those monstrous attributes neither did he even ask to be born. It was all forced.

"Whenever we use to talk about it, Kuro always said how disgusted he was with himself. He hated that he had to do such immoral things. He hated _himself_ for letting these factors control his life. He told me that he had tried to find a cure but the more he tried the more it seemed impossible. When he proposed to Mutsumi she said yes but when Kuro told her about who he really was and what he really did those nights he was out by himself she threw his ring back at him and told him to get out of her house and out of her life. The very next morning we found the princess on the floor of her room. She had killer herself. She left a small note saying, "_To my beloved villagers, I'm sorry for causing you this anguish. I have decided to leave this world. I can't live on knowing I fell in love with a MONSTER.._" That's what the entire note said. Everyone knew she loved Kuro but when the villagers went to his house to tell him she killed herself he was just as shocked as they were. The only difference was that this hit Kuro right in the heart. That same day he came over to my house and told me he was leaving. I tried to reason with him and get him to stay, but all he said was, "_I'd rather not stay in the place where the person I loved killed herself because of me." _He then turned and left my house and the village."

Anko was again speechless. _**"Mutsumi killed herself because of Kuro. No wonder he got enraged when Saito said I looked like her. He must be feeling extremely depressed."**_

"And that's the story. It's sad, disturbing, and revealing but what are you going to do now? Still thinking about being with him? You should feel lucky, because ever since Mutsumi, Kuro has distanced himself away from any other woman. You must be special."

Anko first blushed at the idea that she was lucky to even have Kuro as a friend but that blush quickly faded at the thought of Kuro _favoring_ her. _**"Could this mean that he actually likes me? No, no way. He's just confused, thinking I'm Mutsumi. But then again, he did let me know about the Teuchi thing. **__"But YOU'RE an exception"_ _Kuro_ _said_ _when Teuchi asked him_ _if it was ok to tell_ _her_. _**"In any case I have to go find him. Talk to him. Ask him if everything that Saito said is true. Ask him if he's ok." **_

Anko got up out of the booth and headed for the door. "Hey, where are you going?" Saito asked.

"Where else? To find Kuro." She then quickly left the bar and went out in search of him.

Saito just sat at the booth smiling and thinking, _**"Kuro...you're a lucky one."**_

_**

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**A/N: **Big stuff wasn't it.Some of you may hate me for thinking up such a disturbing person but it's just how things came out. Well next up it Anko finding Kuro in a place she didn't expect . . . Tsunade's offfice.


	9. Moment of Happiness

**A/N: **Very short chapter but need it for the upcoming details. Very important part of the story. You'll see. If only . . . Well have fun.

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_**"If I was Kuro, where would I go?" **_Anko asked herself as she walked through the streets of Konoha looking for him. To her it seemed like he was nowhere to be found but then she got a good idea. _**"Where else would he go but Teuchi's shop? It's the best hunch I've got."**_

Anko ran to Teuchi's shop and when she got there Kuro wasn't there. "Damn it," she cursed to herself.

"What wrong Anko?" Ayame asked. She had seen the distraught look on Anko's face when she came bursting in.

"Have you seen Kuro?" Anko questioned back. She was breathing heavily and Ayame could hear the desperation in her voice.

"He was here about ten minutes ago. He was really mad about something. After a while he suddenly left saying he was going to the Hokage Tower."

"Thanks a lot," Anko said quickly as she dashed for the tower. _**"What could he possibly be doing at the Hokage tower?" **_Anko thought as she left the shop.

When Anko got to the tower, she quickly thought that Kuro would only go to the tower to talk to Tsunade, so she sprinted up to Tsunade's office. When she got to the office door she didn't hesitate to see if Tsunade was busy. She just slammed open the door and saw Kuro there, but he looked different. He had put his forehead protector over his eyes again.

He had turned around to see who had just burst through the door while Tsunade just stared at her and asked, "Anko, what are you doing here?"

Anko was out of breath from sprinting so she put her hand up and signaled them to give her a moment.

Tsunade then got an idea, "Anko you will be the perfect candidate."

When Anko recovered her breath she asked a bit confused, "Candidate for what?"

Kuro quickly said, "What, no. Anyone else but her."

_**"What does he mean not me? What's going on?" **_Her questions were quickly answered.

"Who'd be better? You two know each other well and Anko saw your evaluation so she knows your strength. It's perfect. Either go with Anko or don't go at all," Tsunade commanded.

Anko saw that Kuro was upset by Tsunade's demand, and she could also hear the anger in his voice when he said, "Fine."

Kuro then turned around and headed out the door. When Kuro was next to Anko, she quickly whispered, "I need to talk to you."

Kuro stopped dead in his tracks and replied coldly, "About what?"

"Saito told me everything. I want to know if everything he said was true because of it is we have even MORE to talk about."

Kuro stood still as he clutched his fists. "I'm going to kill him," he said in voice filled with rage.

"The only reason he told me was because he said that I'd understand, and I do. I'm not mad at you or anything because of the way you are. In fact I want to know more. I had a hard life too you know. I know what it is to feel alone and be treated like shit. I just want to sit down and talk about ok? Please, just give me a chance," Anko explained.

Kuro's anger died down and he became more at ease. He finally responded to Anko by saying, "Met me at the village gates tonight at ten." Then he turned and left the office.

Anko just smiled to herself. _**"Yes," **_she thought as she congratulated herself.

"What are you so happy about?" Tsunade asked. She had noticed Anko's little moment of happiness.

"Oh, nothing Hokage I was thinking about something."

"Well, come on in and have a seat. We have to discuss your next mission assignment."

"Mission? What type of mission?" Anko walked back in to the office, closed the door and took a seat.

"A traveler from the Land of Grass has asked us to protect him on his way home. It seems that the Land of Grass has been experiencing a lot of criminal activity lately. From the information we had, combined with what the traveler told us, it seems that the criminal forces are numerous and are strong. We have sent a message bird to the Hidden Grass Village and they told us that if we encounter any of the criminal forces on trips from here to there, that we are allowed to eradicate them if necessary. Kuro will be with you on this mission. I'll put you in charge of the mission since this will be his first official mission for us."

_**"The Land of Grass. It has lots of prairie but also some dangerous forests. If Tsunade is right about the criminal activity then it's only proper to send me, a Jonin, in. But what about Kuro? Has he also been ranked a Jonin as well?" **_Anko thought.

"You will leave for your mission tomorrow afternoon at which time you will meet the traveler and depart. So go now and do any preparations you feel you might need. Also, keep in mind that you'll be entering dangerous territory so be on your guard," Tsunade added.

Anko got out of her chair and said, "Yes, ma'am," and left the office. As Anko headed home she remembered what Kuro told her. _**"I wonder where we're going to go? He said to meet up at the gate but that would only mean that we're leaving the village. We're going to be up late then. Oh, well," **_Anko thought as she shrugged off the last statement. _**"Hopefully everything turns out ok." **_

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**A/N: **Ok the mission is on for Kuro but what will it bring. Touching moments next chapter and then funny moment after that. Have fun.


	10. Wish

**A/N:** Chapter 10 is here. Hope everyone likes it. It's kind of revealing and heartwarming.

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As Anko got up off her couch and glanced at the clock, she realized it was five minutes to ten. "Shoot, I fell asleep and now it's almost time to met Kuro. He'll kill me if I'm late to something this important." She dashed out of her apartment and headed for the entrance gates.

As she ran towards the gates, Anko saw that the streets were becoming clear and stores were closing. _**"I wonder why Kuro wanted to meet at night. I guess he wanted to talk while there were less people out and about. That's just like him" **_Anko thought.

When she finally reached the gates, Kuro was already waiting for her. He wasn't facing her but he already knew she was there. "So…he told you everything?" Kuro asked getting directly to the point.

"Yeah," she said quietly. Anko could feel a strange vibe coming from Kuro. To her, he wasn't the same as he normally was. Now, it seemed that, he was in a deep thought mode. There was also a change in the tone of voice he used. It seemed partially sad and confused.

"Was it right after I left?" Kuro questioned again. He still wasn't facing her and kept the same tone of voice.

"Yeah but it was because I asked him. He was hesitant at first but in the end he told me."

Kuro stood quiet for a while, in deep thought. Finally he spoke, "Come on. Let's walk." He began to walk out of the village and into the forest.

Anko quickly caught up but stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say or even where to start. Millions of things were flying through her head. She still wasn't sure if what Saito said was true but if it was she wanted to hear it directly from Kuro.

Kuro then finally broke the ice by saying, "Do you want to start or should I?"

"You should because I have no idea where to begin."

"I know what you mean. Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."

Anko quickly protested saying, "No, it's not your fault. I know that it was something that you didn't want everyone to know because if they knew…" Anko became quiet at the thought of people finding out. _**"They would probably see him as a monster and try to kill him."**_

"Well still, I think it would have been fair for you to know," Kuro confessed. "I think that since the beginning I felt I trusted you more than anyone else. I don't know why but you're different." Kuro stared at Anko for the first time in hours. "I don't know if it's because of the way you act, or are, or if it's because of my subconscious remembering Mutsumi. All I know is that you're becoming a great friend to me." He smiled at Anko.

Anko stood quiet at his words. To her they were sweet and kind but she saw that from that point onward they were going to be even better friends. Anko returned Kuro's smile but then said sharply, "I bet it isn't your subconscious because I probably don't look anything like Mutsumi. You didn't even notice until Saito brought it up."

Kuro laughed a little. "Well, now that I actually think about it; both of you have the same hair color, both of you are about the same height, and…have the same curves," he explained as he eyed Anko.

Anko gave Kuro a very irritated look. He then quickly said, "What, it's a compliment."

Anko brushed off his little comment and continued looking forward. Up ahead she saw that they were coming to a clearing on top of a small hill.

"Where are we going?" Anko asked curiously. She worried that if they strayed too far from Konoha they might be out too long.

"See that big tree right there," Kuro said as he pointed to the tree he was talking about, "It's my little paradise."

"Why?" Anko asked sarcastically.

"You'll see when we get there."

When they got to the tree, Kuro took a seat on the ground and rested his back against the trunk. The tree was curved in such a way that it allowed someone to recline comfortably. Anko also took a seat next to Kuro and followed his example.

"That's why this is my little paradise," Kuro said as he point up to the sky.

When Anko looked up she saw all of the stars that we shining brightly. Because of the clearing and of the tree's angle, it gave a perfect view of the stars and moon in the sky. She too felt the happiness that the place had to offer. When she looked over at Kuro, he had his hands behind his head and was looking up at the sky with a smile on his face.

"It'd be my paradise too but there's something missing," Anko said as she sat up, and placed her hands on Kuro's headband. "May I?" she asked implying that she wanted to take the band off.

Kuro lay hesitant for a second but then quickly remarked, "You deserve it." He began to untie the headband. When he finished, Anko slowly removed it. Behind the band, his eyes shone a blue and green color.

Anko stared at his eyes. As she stared at him, he did the same. Both never said anything or did anything. They just rested there, staring. It almost seemed hypnotic to her, being able to look at Kuro eye-to-eye.

When she finally noticed she was staring, she blushed tremendously. She'd just realized that the entire time she had been staring at his eyes. She quickly sat up and looked away in embarrassment. She put her hand over her mouth trying to calm herself down. Kuro just smiled to himself. He knew that he had been staring too but it didn't bother him.

"So…do you have any questions?" Kuro asked as he directed his focus to Anko.

Instantly, millions of questions ran through Anko's mind but she wanted to find the most important. With that said, she easily found the correct question to ask before asking anything else. "Is it all true? I mean…I just can't believe it. I understand what Saito said but my mind just can't comprehend that someone like _that_ actual lives. So…is it true?"

Kuro turned back to the sky and said, "I wish it weren't." Anko turned around to look at him. She saw his eyes become a purple color. _**"Sadness," **_she thought.

"I really do wish I could tell you it's a lie...I wish I wasn't cursed with this life…I wish I wasn't left alone through the beginning years of my life…I wish I didn't have to leave Teuchi long ago…I wish Mutsumi hadn't killed herself because of me…but when I think of these thing I also remember something…I can wish all I want but it's just something that will never come true." Kuro then pointed to the sky as Anko followed. They both then saw a shooting star fly across the night. "Even if I wish on every single shooting star, I will never live a damn normal life."

"Well at least in that abnormal life, you have found great friends along the way," Anko said as she brought her knees to her chest. Kuro sat up with Anko as she continued to speak. "Teuchi and Ayame and Saito will always be there for you." Anko spoke with a voice of hope. It was like she had just shined a light in Kuro's dark world.

"And you?" He asked. "Will you be there for me?"

Anko thought about that for a second wondering, _**"Will I?"**_ But these thoughts were quickly tossed aside as she hugged her legs, looked at Kuro and smiled. "Who else is going to keep you out of trouble?" She then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Kuro said but then remember a question he had himself. "Hey, you said you understood my feeling of loneliness and that you were treated like shit; how come?"

Anko remembered her words loud and clear in her head. Her memories of that time came flooding back in. "Well, when I was a little kid I was training under one of the Legendary Sannin of our village. I respected him and had near-blind trust in him. He defected from the village and I followed him. One day, while in the Ocean country, he put me into an empty room and bit me. He gave me a curse seal." Anko explained as she showed Kuro the seal on her left shoulder. "I was locked in that room and left to endure hours of tremendous pain. When he came back, he offered me the chance to go with him but I rejected him. He told me I lacked hate and that's why I was never truly favored by him. Those hours in that room were the most terrible time of my life. I was alone, cold and in pain. Tossed aside like a piece of garbage. That's how I understand you, through that experience."

As Anko spoke, Kuro could see the type of pain she was recalling through her eyes. He could easily remember seeing those same eyes…in the mirror. "But don't worry; you'll have great friends along the way."

Anko smiled again and said, "Yeah, but will you be there for me like I'm there for you?"

Kuro smiled back saying, "Someone has to keep you in line tomorrow."

Anko quickly got up and yelled "Shit, I forgot about tomorrow. We have to go and get some sleep for tomorrow." Anko then started to walk away but Kuro quickly grabbed her hand.

"Wait…stay with me. Just for a little while longer."

Anko could feel herself blush. She tried hiding her blush with anger. "Fine, but just a little longer." She took her seat again.

"That's enough time for me," Kuro said as he leaned back against the tree again, "to enjoy this moment with you."

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**A/N: **See heart-warming. Well next chapter is going to be the start of the mission but with a funny beginning. Lets just say that Kuro sleep-walks. 


	11. His Feelings

**A/N:** Ok chapter 11 and things pop up again. It's very staight forward so it just comes out plain and simple. Funny little side note about Kuro in the beginning. Have Fun.

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"Kuro you're late!" Anko yelled as Kuro came closer to her.

"Sorry, Ayame didn't want to let me go when I told her that I was going on a four day mission," Kuro tried explaining. It was noon and Anko and Kuro's mission was about to begin.

"It's ok young one; I'm in no particular hurry," a voice said from behind Anko.

Anko then moved out of the way to reveal a short, old man. He was bald with a long white beard and he had a wooden cane. He wore a large grey coat that covered his entire body.

"This is the traveler that we will be taking to the Land of Grass," Anko explained.

"Hello there, my name is Tanaka Kenjo," he said in a charm filled voice.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kuro."

"Well if you're done with your introductions then let's go," Anko said abruptly.

"Ok, ok I was giving my respects," Kuro tried explaining but Anko ignored him.

Tanaka got close to Kuro and whispered, "Are you sure you can work with her? She seems mad at you."

"She's been mad at me since yesterday," he said.

* * *

_As Kuro and Anko lay against the tree, Kuro fell asleep. Anko didn't notice he was sleeping, but she did notice when he began to scoot closer to her. She felt him rubbing against her. Suddenly, she felt Kuro drape his hand across her waist. _

"_Kuro, what are you doing?" she asked, but she didn't get a response._

_Instead, Kuro grabbed her tighter. Anko began to blush. __**"What is he thinking? Out here? No, he couldn't be thinking about doing that." **__Then Kuro started to caress Anko's hair with his other hand. Anko could feel the tingle on her back from Kuro's actions. "Kuro, wait," she said. _

"_Why wait? Here and now is much better," Kuro suggested._

"_B-But don't you think we should like talk about one another first?" Anko said extremely nervously._

"_What is there to talk about? I know you love me just by looking into your eyes and I've loved you since I first met you, so everything's ok right?" Kuro pressed on. _

"_Y-u-you love me?" Anko asked completely surprised._

"_Of course I do and what better way of proving it to you then this?" Kuro began to kiss Anko's neck. _

"_Kuro wait," Anko said while breathing deeply, "right HERE?" _

_Kuro then got on top of Anko and started to take off her shirt. "Why not? You usually love having sex in crazy spots Mutsumi."_

_Instantly, Anko punched Kuro off of her, fixed her shirt and marched back to her house. Kuro then woke up and realized that Anko was leaving. "Hey, why are you leaving?" He continued to yell after her as she made her way home.

* * *

_

"I asked her what happened but she just asked if I have ever sleepwalked," Kuro said.

"That's very awkward," Tanaka said.

"HEY, ARE YOU TWO DONE WHISPERING OVER THERE? LET'S GO ALREADY!" Anko screamed.

"Yeah, we're coming," both men responded.

As night fell upon them they decided to stop by a village and rest for the night. "I'm dying to just relax somewhere," Anko said as they reached the hotel they decided to stay at.

Kuro said, "Lucky for you there's a hot spring here." Anko just ignored him and went to her room.

"Still trying to get back on her good side?" Tanaka asked.

"Yeah, but as you can see she she's still hating me for some reason."

"She doesn't hate you. She's just mad at you."

"How do you know?"

"After being with the Mrs. for so long, I can tell when a woman is mad. Anko is definitely mad but she doesn't hate you. You can tell by looking in her eyes," Tanaka said.

"Well, if she's mad at me then it should be easier to fix than if she hated me."

Both men went to their rooms to relax from their long trip. As they neared their rooms they saw Anko leaving hers and heading for the springs. Kuro tried to say something but she again ignored him, then she left.

When the men entered the room they decided to rest briefly in the living room. It was very spacious. There was a table in the middle of the room with two pillows for people to sit on. The walls were decorated with different landscape paintings. There were separate doors in the room; the door to the left lead to Tanaka's room and the room to the right lead to Kuro's room. The doors opposite to the entrance lead to a balcony. The balcony had a beautiful view of the sky. On it were two chairs, a small table between the chairs and a mini-refrigerator close to the table.

After a brief stop, Tanaka went to his room and fell asleep. Kuro, on the other hand, went to the balcony. He took a seat and gazed at the sky. Inevitably, he opened the refrigerator and took out a small cup and a bottle of sake. On many occasions when he traveled to his "little paradise" he would take these things and drink. Here, he felt like doing the same.

As Anko dropped off her things in her room, she quickly grabbed her towel and left for the hot springs. After she left Kuro she found out that the spring was going to be closed for an hour.

"Damn it. I was really itching for some relaxation time. Oh well, I'll just go to the bar for a while and then come back."

At the bar, she had herself just a few drinks when she realized that she still had to wait ten more minutes for the springs. "Whatever, I'll just go laze around on the couch until the spring is open," she said.

After about an hour of drinking, Kuro decided it was a time to visit the springs. He walked over to Tanaka's door and asked, "Hey old man, are you going to the hot springs?"

Tanaka quickly got up, grabbed his towel and opened the door. "I've been waiting for your offer," he said.

"Ok, just let me get my stuff and we'll go." Kuro grabbed his towel and headed out the door with Tanaka.

As Kuro opened the door he noticed that Anko's door had just closed. _**"She must have just gotten out of the spring," **_he thought.

When both men arrived at the spring's locker room, Tanaka disrobed and got in first. After a few minutes Kuro entered also, but he still had his headband on. "How come you always cover your eyes?" Tanaka said.

"It's part of my fighting style," Kuro said.

"Oh, you also seem very strong," Tanaka said as he pointed to Kuro's muscles.

"Just a little," Kuro said sarcastically.

As both men soaked in the springs soothing water, they sat there quietly thinking and contemplating things in their own minds. Soon after, they heard a woman get into the springs. The woman's side of the spring was blocked off by a large wooden wall so nothing could be seen, but everything could still be heard.

Tanaka noticed some quiet noises coming from the women's side of the spring. "Blast this wall! A beautiful woman could have just entered and I missed the chance to see a gorgeous body in front of me!"

"For an old man you sure are perverted," Kuro said.

"Well, women don't just fly to men like two magnets. A man must pursue the woman in order to start anything," Tanaka replied.

"Unless the woman's mad at you," Kuro pointed out.

"Still grieving over her? You must really want to start something with her."

"Well, I don't even know but Anko's…"

* * *

Anko stared at the clock and finally the time for the springs to open up again came. "It's about time," she said stressfully. She walked back down to the springs, saw that they were functional again and walked into where the lockers were. "At least the spring is separated by gender. That way no old guy will be eyeing me," she said.

As she entered the spring's area, she felt the hot temperature of the air. "_**Damn it's hot,"**_ she thought. Finally she slipped into the spring and eased herself to the side. Then she heard a conversation taking place on the men's side of the spring. . .

_"A man must pursue the woman in order to start anything,"_ someone said on the other side of the wall.

_**"That must be the perverted old man I thought would probably show up. Wait…I've heard that voice before," **_Anko thought.

_"Unless the woman's mad at you,"_ another voice said.

Instantly, Anko recognized the voices. _**"That's Kuro and Tanaka!" **_she told herself.

_"Still grieving over her? You must really want to start something with her."_

_**"What are they talking about? Kuro's grieving over someone?"**_ she asked herself.

"_Well, I don't even know but Anko's..." _Kuro hesitated.

"_**He's grieving over me! I haven't done anything bad to him," **_Anko thought. She could hear the sadness and confusion in his voice.

"…_become really important to me," _Kuro finished.

"_**I've become what?" **_Anko thought in complete shock.

"_How so?" _Tanaka asked.

"_I really don't know, but lately I've become more attracted to her. I mean, she's really the only person I've talked to in the whole village outside of my family. I see her almost every day and I don't know; it's just become different lately." _

"_**Wait; don't tell me that he's…" **_Anko began to think but was cut of by Tanaka.

"_Just as I thought, you do like her. It's undeniable. I can read it off you like a book." _

"_Is it that obvious?" _Kuro asked.

"_Of course. You like her and that's all there is to it." _

"_Yeah I guess your right. I've just got to accept the fact that I did fall for her. Now the problem is what do I do?" _Kuro asked.

Tanaka said_, "There is only one thing you can do; you have to tell her how you feel. She seems like she'll understand." _

"_Yeah…there are a lot of things that she's understood about me already. I guess it makes sense why I fell for her." _

"Why?" the old man asked.

"_Because she's the first woman to accept me for what I truly am," _Kuro said.

"_Well, I hope that everything works out for you," _Tanaka said as he got out of the hot springsand headed for the lockerroom._ "We should be heading back."_

"_Yeah," _Kurosaidashetoogotout of the spring._ "I've got a lot of things to think about." _Both men then left the hot springs and returned to their respective rooms.

Anko sat speechless as she recalled the information she had just stumbled upon. She'd heard everything that Kuro said, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. _**"I…I can't believe it. He was feeling bad because of the way I've been treating him. I don't think they realized that I was here. Was everything Kuro just said true? Does he really like me? No…no way. He's just confused since I look like Mutsumi." **_

"_She's the first woman to accept me for what I truly am," _Anko remembered.

Anko stayed in the hot springs for a while longer, contemplating the secret information she had just obtained. Finally, she got out and went back to her room and on the way, she ran into Kuro.

"Oh, hey Anko," he said.

Anko was speechless. She now knew about the way he felt but she was still confused. She felt her heart beat faster and faster as the seconds passed.

"Hey, are you ok? You look kind of out of it," Kuro asked.

Anko then snapped out of her daze and answered, "Oh, no, I'm fine." Then she thought of something to say, "Listen, I'm sorry for acting like such a bitch today. I shouldn't have been treating you like that."

Kuro saw that what she was saying was true, and that she really did feel bad for what she had done. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't going to die over it," he said while giving her a reassuring smile.

"_**Liar," **_Anko thought. "Well, ok but again I'm sorry," she said as she continued walking. "I'll see you tomorrow morning ok?"

"Yeah, see you."

The next morning, Kuro woke up bright and early to continue their trip. Anko, Tanaka and he met out in the front of the hotel. The sky was clear outside and the temperature was nearly perfect. "Looks like we've got good traveling weather today," Kuro said.

"Indeed," replied Tanaka.

"Ok then. Let's head out you maggots, and Tanaka!" Anko proclaimed.

"Hey!" Kuro yelled back at her.

Anko turned and gave Kuro a joyful smile. He smiled back as Tanaka whispered, "Is she still mad at you Kuro?"

"No, but from now on it's going to be different," he whispered back.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Anko asked.

"Nothing, just telling him what a good day it's going to be today," Kuro replied with a smile.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok see straight forward. It just came out. There you go. feelings are shown but what will happen? Next chapter, meeting an old "friend." 


	12. The Undead One

**A/N: **HI everyone. 12 is here. It's long so sit back and relax as you read this. Might go and get yourself someting to eat while you read. Have fun.

* * *

"Finally, we're in the Land of Grass," Anko said in an exhausted tone.

The sun was setting and the trio was getting tired. The Land of Grass promised a lot of beautiful scenery. As they entered the country, they noticed the spacious prairie and gorgeous plant life. As they traveled deeper into the country they ran into a gigantic forest.

"How much farther is it?" she continued, complaining.

"It's still a couple of hours off," Tanaka said.

Kuro said, "It's starting to get dark. I say we find a village nearby and settle in for the night. Tsunade did say that this place was going to be packed with criminal activity."

"The closest village is mine. We'll just have to hope that we don't run into anyone," Tanaka said.

"I guess we don't have a choice then," Kuro said.

As they continued walking, the darkness started to spread. When night fell completely, Kuro started to get worried.

"Hey, Tanaka, how much farther?" he asked.

"It's only thirty minutes from here," the old man explained.

"I guess we did have luck on our side. No Enemies came," Kuro said but then Anko suddenly stopped.

She looked around for a second and then said, "You spoke to soon."

Instantly after Anko spoke, a strong gust of wind blew. She looked up and saw fire coming down from the sky. Kuro quickly grabbed Tanaka and put him behind him.

"Anko!" he called out. Anko nodded as both ninjas created the ram hand seal and said, "Dispel!"

Automatically the gigantic fire ball disappeared. "They think a small genjutsu will stop us," Anko said mockingly.

As both ninjas surveyed their surroundings, enemy ninjas started to circle them. Anko and Kuro couldn't see their faces. All they saw we black figures in the dark.

"Oh!" Anko said as she got hit on the stomach.

"Anko, you ok?" Kuro said as he helped her get back up.

"BASTARDS!!!" Anko screamed out as she did some hand seals and said, "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique." She blew a large amount of fire on the surrounding trees. The enemy ninja's scattered as she blew the fire. With the trees now burning, the area was illuminated.

"Wow," Tanaka said in astonishment.

"What? Did you think she was some worthless woman that complains too much?" Kuro said.

"Shut up. This is no time to be joking around. We're surrounded," Anko said seriously.

At that moment, three figures appeared out of the darkness. As they came into the light they were clearly visible. The two men on the sides were wearing black clothing that covered their entire body. Their faces were covered by black masks. The man in the middle was different. He was a very tall man. He wore a black suit with a black bucket hat that covered his eyes. When the man's face came into the light a large claw-like scar was visible on his face.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it kid," the man in the middle said.

"This is impossible. You're dead," Kuro said in a very enraged voice.

"That's what you thought, but someone like you could never kill me," the man continued.

"Kuro, who is that?" Anko asked.

"Kuro, is that what you're name is? You never told me your name when I asked for it," the scared man said.

"That's not my name. I already told you…I don't have one," Kuro said.

Anko stood shocked by Kuro's words. _**How can that not be his name? Back when we first met he told me…" **_Anko thought but then the memory of that day came back, _"They call me Kuro." _That's when she realized it. _**"He's an experiment, so he wouldn't have a name."**_

"That's too bad," the scared man continued.

"Enough talk; I'm going to finish you off here and now," Kuro proclaimed as he moved his hand over his forehead protector.

"Spare me the eyes. I've seen them," the scared man said.

"No…this time… it's different," Kuro said as he pushed his headband onto his forehead.

With his eyes closed he yelled, "THIS TIME YOU'RE GOING TO TRULY DIE!!!" Then he opened his eyes.

His eyes were crimson with a ring of lavender in between. The distinguishing features of his eyes were the cat-like pupils, and the four Sharingan swirls located in the lavender ring.

"So, you've been training," the scared man suggested.

"For a day...LIKE THIS!!!" Kuro screamed as he dashed towards the scared man.

"Let's play," the scared man said as they began to fight, but suddenly, he disappeared.

"Kuro, wait!" Anko said as she walked forward but the two men who'd accompanied the scared man blocked her path.

"You're not going anywhere, missy," they said in a jocular tone.

Anko was getting mad. Everything was spinning out of control. It just didn't make sense to her. Kuro went completely ballistic out of nowhere, the enemy ninjas where putting up a fight, and on top of that they were underestimating her.

"Anko, help me!" Tanaka screamed as another enemy ninja came out of the shadows and grabbed him.

Anko immediately thought up some quick maneuvers and plans. _**"We have to get out of here. There's already about three enemy ninjas that I have to take down while Kuro just disappeared with their boss."**_

Anko then turned to face Tanaka's attacker. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hand." Snakes appeared from her sleeve when she raised her left hand. The snakes quickly attacked the enemy ninja and grabbed Tanaka. The ninja let go of the old man and Anko quickly took her position next to him.

_**"Shit, I forgot about Tanaka. This is only going to make the fight harder. We have to escape for now. We'll report back to Tsunade and have a special ANBU team help The Hidden Grass Village. But before we can leave…where the hell is Kuro?"

* * *

**_

"I have to admit boy, you have gotten better," the scared man confessed.

"I'll always be better then you Tsao," Kuro replied coldly. The fight had barely begun and already both men had small cuts and bruises from each other's punches and slashes.

"Your speed as also improved. You can go toe-to-toe with me kid," Tsao remarked.

"This time, I have more then speed and strength on my side,' Kuro replied as he created his chakra swords. "I also have technique." Kuro dashed forward and again both men disappeared.

* * *

Flames started to spread through the forest. Anko was getting worried. She had to do something before they got trapped, that is, if they weren't already.

"Three vs. one. You'll never make it," the enemy ninja that got attacked by the snakes said.

_**"Good at lest now I know that there are only three of them left in the forest," **_Anko thought but before she could do anything she had something to take care of.

"Tanaka, run to your village. These guys probably won't leave their bosses side. I'll take them out and then I'll meet you back at the village."

"Are you sure you can take them all out?" the old man asked.

Anko just smiled at Tanaka and said, "Are you underestimating me too?"

Tanaka understood Anko's actions, nodded, and headed towards his village. Anko then turned her attention back at the three enemies in front of her. "Which one of you wants to be taken out first?" She took out a kunai from her coat and licked the sharp edge.

"I owe you one for attacking me with those stupid snakes," one of the enemy ninjas said as he took a step forward and got into a battle stance.

"Fun time," Anko whispered as she ran towards the enemy ninja.

Her enemy just stood still as she ran at him. She stabbed the man in the chest just to discover that he was a fake. _**"Just as I thought," **__s_he told herself. The enemy then came up from behind her and tried to attack her with his own kunai but he hit a piece of wood.

"Body replacement technique," he said.

"Did you really think I was that stupid?" Anko asked from a safe distance away.

Instantly, the enemy ninja spun around and said, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

An extremely strong wind started to head in Anko's direction. She buried herself underground with Earth Release: Underground Protection Fish technique to avoid the dangerous jutsu. _**"I could have lost a limb," **_she thought.

"Don't think that's going to save you," the ninja said. He then began to suck in air. His stomach began to expand rapidly. He then punched his stomach to let out the condensed air combined with his chakra. His technique, called "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet," crashed into the ground and directly hit Anko. She flew out of the ground and crashed into a tree.

"Shit," she whispered. The technique left her with some deep cuts and in a partly weakened state. She scrambled quickly, and got up and hid. As the wind ninja walked cautiously, Anko tried to find an opening in his walk. As he turned his back to her she quickly popped out of a bush. He again turned around and activated his Great Breakthrough attack. Anko, being the smarter one, knew that her fire-based technique would beat out a wind-based one so she activated her Dragon Fire technique again. When both attacks collided, the Breakthrough was immediately swallowed by the Fire. The Fire attack grew and easily cooked the enemy ninja.

"_**One down, two moooo…" **_Anko began thinking but then felt water surround her.

"Don't tell me you forgot that we were here?" the enemy ninja holding Anko in a Water Prison technique said. He had summoned the water needed for the technique from his mouth.

"That guy was a rookie anyway," the other ninja said. "We, on the other hand, caught you easily."

"_**Shit," **_Anko told herself as she felt her oxygen level begin to sink.

* * *

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missiles," Tsao yelled as he shot out balls of flame from his hands at high speed. Kuro tried to evade them all but still got hit with one. He fell to the floor breathing heavily.

"I guess you're still pretty good boy," Tsao remarked.

Kuro stared at Tsao completely filled with hatred and rage. Tsao looked over Kuro's shoulder and said, "Looks like your companion is about to drown."

Kuro then remembered about Anko and Tanaka. He had been so busy with Tsao that he left Anko by herself. He looked back and saw her trying to get out of the Water Prison technique. She was running out of air. Kuro used the Body Flicker technique to dash towards the water ninja holding Anko. He broke straight through the technique, grabbed Anko and pulled her out of the water.

Anko felt herself burst from the water. She was coughing violently, grasping for air. When she tried opening her eyes everything went blurry, and she fainted. As Kuro held Anko in his arms he saw how she almost died because of his misguided decision. He became even more enraged. When Anko was breathing normally again he put her down carefully, got up and closed his eyes.

"You two..." Kuro stated as he pointed at the two ninjas that had attacked Anko, "…are dead." He opened his eyes revealing his animal eyes. Completely black eyes that showed almost no sign of human emotion.

"I'm not letting someone I love get hurt again."

He dashed toward the water ninja, but the other ninja came and activated his Earth Release: Earth Style Wall to summon a gigantic wall as a defensive barrier. Kuro was forced to stop dead in his tracks. Suddenly, Kuro saw that the ground was filling up with water.

_**"That water ninja must be using Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave," **_he thought. The water was rising quickly. _**"Shit Anko," **_he thought. As he dashed back to Anko's side, the water ninja hosed down the trees that were on fire with Water Release: Water Shark Missile technique, causing the area to grow dark again. Kuro picked Anko up and took her to a safe branch above the water that was now close to seven feet deep.

When Kuro put Anko down he saw that the two enemy ninjas were hiding in the darkness. _**"I have to fight one earth style and one water style ninja. To bad for them that I can see in the dark." **_Kuro activated his reflective lens. Because of the panther DNA, he had a reflective lens in his eyes that he could control. He ran towards the water ninja, activated his chakra swords and went in for the attack. Since the water ninja himself couldn't detect Kuro because he wasn't traveling via water but by the trees, he got sliced right in the middle. The enemy let out a loud groan that marked his death. Now that the water ninja was taken care of Kuro set his sights on the earth ninja.

Anko was suddenly awakened by the sound of a loud scream. When she sat up she quickly realized that she wasn't trapped in the Water Prison technique anymore. _**"How did I get out of there?"**_ she thought, but remembered the blur she saw before she fainted. _**"It must have been Kuro."**_ When she looked around she noticed that the trees that had been on fire no longer were, and water was covering the ground. Since it was extremely dark, Anko used her Dragon Fire technique to burn some branches for light. In the distance, she saw Kuro and the earth ninja.

As Kuro saw that Anko was awake, he told himself that he had to finish this fight before she got attacked again. "You've done well so far," the earth ninja said, "Just as would be expected of Tsao's enemy."

"Enough talk, "Kuro said. "I'll end this now." He dashed forward. The earth ninja again shielded himself with the Earth Style Wall but this time Kuro jumped over it. The enemy ninja had also created a _ceiling_ to protect him from Kuro's attack.

"The weakness of Earth…" Kuro began while clutching his right fist, "…is lightning."

As Kuro started to fall towards the Earth Style Wall, he brought back his right fist. Anko noticed that a black cloud was forming in the sky. "What's he going to do?" she asked herself.

As Kuro was a few feet away from hitting the _ceiling _he yelled out, "LIGHTNING RELEASE: LIGHTNING CRASHDOWN!!!" Instantly, a lightning bolt came out of the black cloud. The bolt combined with Kuro's fist as he punched and destroyed the Earth Style Wall.

"Shit," the earth ninja said as Kuro broke through. When Kuro landed on the water he quickly got up and sprinted at the earth ninja.

"DIE!" he screamed as he hit the earth ninja with his electrified arm. The ninja let out a cried of pain as he died.

After the earth ninja died, the Earth Style Walls broke apart. Kuro quickly resumed his position next to Anko. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Anko was quiet. All she could do was stare back in horror as she re-witnessed the rage and murderous intent that Kuro had just shown in her head. As she stared back at Kuro, she also saw the eyes that Teuchi had described once before. _**"Is this the power that Saito was talking about?"**_ she thought.

"Anko answer me, are you ok?" Kuro asked again but instead got an empty look.

"She looks traumatized to me boy," Tsao said as he appeared in the distance. "I'm guessing she just realized the terrifying extent of you _abilities_."

Anko saw the rage in Kuro rise. He was losing control and fast. She could feel how high his murderous intent was getting. Kuro got up and faced Tsao, and said "I'm going to silence you once and for all."

Tsao just grinned and was prepared to enter battle again. Anko was the only one who protested. "Kuro wait," she finally said.

Kuro immediately reversed his murderous fury and knelt down by Anko. "Are you ok?" he asked again.

Anko felt like she was being choked. She couldn't say much but was able to sneak out the words, "We have to protect Tanaka. It is our mission."

Kuro had completely disregarded the mission. He was overwhelmed with shock at how foolish he had been acting. He quickly turned his back to Anko and said, "Get on. We're leaving."

Anko quickly saw that her words had brought Kuro back to reality. When she looked over to Tsao's direction she noticed his evil grin. "Running away boy, that's not your style."

"It might not be but I have to this time. Mark my words though, I will find you and kill you once again," Kuro said as he gave Tsao an expression of anger and determination. "Anko, get on," he said again.

Anko decided to stay quiet now and ask questions later. She quickly positioned herself on Kuro's back and crossed her arms around his neck.

"Until we meet again kid," Tsao said as he tipped his hat forward and vanished.

Kuro remained speechless as he got up, grabbed Anko's legs so she wouldn't fall off and ran forward. As they sailed through the trees, both were quiet. Anko started to recap everything that had happened, but found herself returning to the finale, and Kuro's explosive rage.

"_**He must have seen when they trapped me in that Water Prison technique," **_Anko reasoned. As she kept remembering the event, she also remembered hearing a soft voice talking when she fainted, _"I'm not letting someone I love get hurt again."_ Anko was shocked by this memory. _**"Was that Kuro?"**_ she started thinking. _**He must have been protecting me while I was out." **_Anko then realized the choice of words that Kuro had used, _"…someone I love…" _She became even more bewildered then before. _**"He loves me? No way. He…loves...me?" **_She then remembered the conversation that she overheard between Kuro and Tanaka. _**"If he liked me then…does that mean his feelings have grown now?"**_

"There's the village," Kuro pointed out. Anko looked into the distance and saw the little town.

"How do you know Tanaka's there already?"

"I have the Byakugan remember. I can see him from here."

Anko stayed quiet as they head to Tanaka's house. She had millions of things she wanted to ask Kuro about. Who was Tsao? Why did he feel threatened by him? Why did he leave without saying anything? But the most important question she had was to herself, _**"How do I feel about Kuro?" ****

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**_**A/N: **The questions have come. Now it's the quest to find thew answers. 


	13. Her Feelings

**A/N: **Ok everyone, Now to look at the other side of feelings. Have fun.

* * *

Upon arriving at Tanaka's house everything seemed to calm down. No enemy ninjas followed them and Tanaka was safe. Everything seemed to have turned out well—with only one exception. As soon as Kuro put Anko in a bed to rest, he seemed to distance himself. As she slept, Kuro didn't leave her side and took full responsibility for her healing but in an indirect way. After healing her body, Anko still needed to rest from anxiety. It wasn't a problematic issue but Kuro seemed to be overwhelmed with worry. He and Tanaka didn't talk much, but understood each other through body language. At the times when Anko was awake, she just laughed at his stupid overreactions. But as she found this as a good source of entertainment, she also noticed the growing feelings that Kuro was starting to express. It had only been a couple of hours since they got to Tanaka's house and he'd found a chair and _stationed_ himself in Anko's room. He didn't say much except for the occasional, "Everything ok?" He tried to make it seem like he didn't care much about her health because, in his eyes, she was a strong woman that didn't need someone to take care of her. But even with this reply, Kuro stayed close just incase _this_ woman needed it. The more Anko thought about it, the more she seemed to find herself steering towards the fact that what Kuro had said at the forest might be true.

Another thing that Anko noticed was that after Kuro put her to rest, he didn't bother fixing his headband. She didn't know if this was an intentional strategy to keep watch around the house or because he flat out forgot. In any manner, Anko just kept staring at his eyes. Thinking about how those eyes caused him the life he had. But it was also those eyes that had saved her butt from drowning a couple of hours ago.

"Everything ok?" Kuro asked for the millionth time.

"Didn't you just finish saying how strong a woman I was and how I don't need anyone's help?" Anko said.

"Yeah, but…" Kuro started before Anko interrupted him.

"But what? You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine. Go and get yourself some sleep," Anko demanded in a jocular fashion.

Kuro got up slow and walked towards the door. Anko saw that her little joke wasn't a joke to him at all. He had taken it like a bullet to the heart. Kuro stopped at the door before saying, "I'm sorry."

Anko then became confused, "What are you apologizing for? It's not like you did this to me," she remarked.

"Yeah, but…" Kuro paused for a moment in thought before a saying, "…I should have never let them even touch you." He then walked out of the room leaving a heavy and regretful air behind.

Anko lay confused for a second before thinking, _**"He really does care." **_She then turned onto her back. As she lay resting, she soon fell sleep.

"_It's about time you showed up here. It's been a while," _a voice echoed in the darkness.

When Anko opened her eyes she was in a large round room. To her it seemed like she was in a single roomed mansion. There were arced pillars surrounding the white room. There were two red leather chairs in the room with small cup stands next to each chair. One chair was occupied by Anko and the other was empty. As she looked up she saw that there were five floors to the room. There was a stair case that circled around the entire room that led to every floor. The ceiling was a glass dome. The dome had a picture of her naked with arms and legs spread apart. As she tried to distinguish what was on each floor all she could see was shelves with books and files.

_"So what brings you to my neck of the woods?"_ the voice called out again.

Anko instantly looked at the chair in front of her and saw something forming there. When the figure came into view, Anko was left speechless. Terror and shock was expressed all over her face.

_"What type of expression is that? It's not like this is the first time we've ever met."_ She realized that the figure in the chair that was talking to her …was HER.

"Where am I?" were the only words that Anko managed to say. She was still frightened.

"What you don't remember? We're in your mind and I have to admit it's a very nice place,"thefigure_ that_ could be considered "Inner Anko" said.

"And who are you?" she continued questioning doubtfully.

"Isn't it pretty obvious…I'm you, well the inner you," Inner Anko said.

Anko looked around for a moment hoping to find an exit door or something that could get her out of this place. _**"How the hell did I get here?" **_she asked herself but her thoughts were somehow echoing in the room.

"If I'm not mistaken, you brought yourself here,"Inner Anko suggested.

"How'd you do that?" Anko asked.

"I didn't do anything. We're in your mind remember; so anything you think of I can hear in here,"Inner Anko stated.

Anko tried to make sense of the situation. She tried to remember what had happened but as soon as she tapped into her memory a gust of wind swept through the room. Instantly a book fell out of one of the shelves and flew to the lower level. The book went to the center of the room and hovered there for a moment. The floor then started to show a small opening that let the book slide into it when it was completely open. Afterwards, a television appeared on one of the walls. The chairs rotated towards the T.V. as if giving the viewers a better point of view. The memory that Anko tried recollecting was now pictured on the screen of the television.

_"Everything ok?" _Kuro's voice echoed through the room.

_"Didn't you just finish saying how strong of a woman I was and how I don't need anyone's help?"_

_"Yeah, but…"_

_"But what? You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine. Go and get yourself some sleep."_

Anko couldn't believe her eyes. She was re-witnessing an event…on T.V. "You can be so mean sometimes," Inner Anko remarked.

Instantly, Anko felt her usual argumentive side pop up. "What? It's not like I was forcing him to stay there."

"Yea but he stood there because he cares about you," Inner she said back.

_"…I should have never let them even touch you." _His words rang in her ears.

Anko immediately got a little irritated. She crossed her arms and looked at herself while saying, "You don't even know him. You don't know what you're taking about."

Inner Anko just stared back as she protested. "Oh really, I wouldn't know? I'm the one that sits in here experiencing everything you say, do, think, see, taste, touch, feel, and smell. Plus, you said it yourself."

_"He really does care." _These words echoed the room in a different tone.

Anko felt herself blush as she was caught red handed. She knew that she had thought that when Kuro exited the room before she fell asleep. Fell asleep. That was it. She realized that she had fallen asleep before being here.

"So let's get straight to it then," Inner Anko proclaimed.

"Straight to what?" Anko asked a bit worried.

"We need to find out why you're here."

It had totally slipped her mind. She had asked where and how she was there but the "why," had completely bypassed her. "I thought you knew why?" she asked.

"Hey I'm just as surprised as you are. I don't know why you're here just like last time," Inner Anko stated.

"Last time? I was here before?" Anko questioned curiously.

"Yeah, you don't remember? It was after Orochimaru left us in that empty room with the curse seal. When he came back and asked us if we wanted to join him you automatically came here. We talked about it and then you left," Inner Anko explained.

Anko tried to remember that moment but couldn't recall ever being in that place before. "So that means that after we find out why I'm here and get that answer, I'll leave?" Anko told her inner self.

"I'm guessing because that's how it worked last time," Inner Anko said.

"Ok then so _how_ do we figure out why I'm here?" Anko continued.

"If it's like last time then it should be something you asked yourself. What _is _the last thing you asked yourself?" Inner Anko questioned.

At that exact moment, Anko's voice ran through the room. _"How do I feel about Kuro?"_

Anko couldn't believe it. Out of all the questions she'd asked herself, how could a stupid question like _that_ be of such importance to bring her to a place like this? It was idiotic. It wasn't a life altering question like last time but instead a question of curiosity.

"I thought as much, Inner Anko remarked.

Anko got mad. "What do you mean, _I thought as much_?" she angrily demanded.

Inner Anko just smiled to herself and said, "You still haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"How much we've fallen for him," Inner Anko said simply.

Anko got embarrassed by how bluntly her inner self had told her, her own supposed feeling. "I haven't fallen for him. What makes you think that?"

Inner Anko just shook her head and said, "Isn't it obvious? I mean look at you two. Together everyday. Talking so easily. Telling each other your deepest secrets. And just to make sure you see it clearly, remember that day that Tsunade canceled the mission to watch Kuro. That feeling that bothered you all day? That was sadness for not being able to be with him. That should be proof enough."

The wind blew again and sent the book of that day onto the floor and projected it on the screen. The memories of that day came on. The feelings also ran back through Anko as she thought about it.

"So how _do _you feel?" Inner Anko asked.

Anko felt paralyzed. She didn't know what to say. The subject barely came up and she didn't even get a chance to think about it. And even now, as she thought, she didn't know what to say. Had Kuro really become that important to her subconsciously? Was that it? That her inner mind wanted to settle this before moving ahead?

Anko just couldn't figure it out. She looked around the room, as if waiting for God to give her a sign. When she looked back up to the glass dome she noticed something forming. It was on her chest. It was almost circular and red. As she stared at it, something formed inside it. It was this that she was able to get her answer from.

At that moment Anko started to hear a voice inside her head talking. She couldn't understand it but it was getting louder. Anko looked back at herself. Everything was getting blurry.

"I'm guessing you got your answer?" Inner Anko said.

Anko was able to squeeze out a yes but since everything was starting to go numb she almost couldn't.

"So what is it?" she asked again.

Before Anko fully disappeared she pointed up.

Inner Anko thought for a second about what that gesture meant but as she looked up at the dome she saw the heart that had formed on Anko's picture and Kuro's face placed on it.

"So you do love him."

* * *

**A/N: **See things are answered now. Just three more chapters. I can feel it. Next up ... stuff. 


	14. Choices Part 1

**A/N: **Alright it coming close. Chapter 14 and it's getting a bit crazy. 2 more chapters and then the end. What will the end be ... who knows?

* * *

As the sun started to show its early morning colors, Anko was already wide awake. She had been for some time but it wasn't because she couldn't sleep. On the contrary, she had slept beautifully. The reason why she was awake so early was because today was going to be the day that might change her life. It was the day that things were finally going to go good. And she didn't want to waste a minute of the day.

She got up slowly. She thought she might still be injured from the previous day's battle but it seemed that _someone_ had already taken care of her injuries. She looked around the room that Tanaka had given her. It wasn't all that bad. There was a small dresser, single bed, small chair, and a closet. As she stood up, she stretched and cracked her neck. As the familiar cracking sound came, she was relieved once again.

She could hear voices outside her door. She couldn't tell whose they were, but she hoped it was the person she thought it was. She started walking towards the door and was about to open it when the door was opened by Kuro from the other side. Anko didn't move for a moment. She was just looking at what was in front of her. Since she didn't move, Kuro asked, "You ok?"

It took a moment for Anko's mind to register that Kuro had asked her a question. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. A good night's sleep and a good dream did the trick," she said.

_**"Dream?"**_ Kuro thought, but decided to not start questioning her so early.

Anko walked out to the living room where she was greeted by Tanaka. He asked her how she was feeling. With a bright smile and thumbs up, she told him that she was fine.

Kuro felt awkward by Anko's new, happy attitude. He had never seen her that happy. He got worried. _**"Maybe someone or something got to her while she was sleeping?"**_

As they ate breakfast Anko couldn't stop smiling. Everything seemed so bright and full of energy. Kuro, on the other hand, was very serious and trying to figure out what could have happened to Anko. She kept sneaking peeks at Kuro. She couldn't help herself anymore. It happened like an instinct. She now knew why she felt the way she did and she was ready to say it after they finished eating.

When they finished eating, Anko went to Kuro. She was ready to tell him everything but Kuro spoke before she could. "We'll be leaving tonight so get everything you need. I'm going into the village to get some supplies and then I'll be back to get you and we'll leave."

"But Kuro wait …" Anko's words were in vain because Kuro had already turned and left. _**"What was that all about? Just when I was about to tell him something important he decides to leave. Great." **_

It was midnight and Kuro hadn't returned. Anko was starting to get worried. She could think up millions of things that could have gone wrong but decided to give him a little while longer before she herself went out to look for him.

"You look worried? Still waiting for Kuro?" Tanaka asked.

Anko was on the porch and Tanaka had come out to check up on her. "Yeah, he should have been back by now."

"Well, don't worry about him. He'll come back to you. He wouldn't miss that opportunity," Tanaka explained with a sense of confidence.

Anko knew exactly what he was taking about. She had heard his and Kuro's conversation and knew that he meant that Kuro would come back to be with her. This statement made her smile. She just couldn't wait to tell him everything but she thought she'd better save that for when they get back to the village.

Suddenly, Kuro showed up through a puff of smoke. "Let's go," he said simply. He was trying to act as serious as he could but in the end couldn't.

BAM!!!! Anko punched Kuro upside the head causing him to hit the floor hard. Anko said, "What was that? Trying to make a cool entrance? I was getting worried about you, you dorkface!"

Kuro got up slowly rubbing his head. "Well did you have to hit me?"

Anko just looked at her little dorkface rubbing his head with a smile on her face. She was savoring the moment. She loved these times. The times where they argued but in a loving way. They both knew it but now Anko understood.

As Kuro pulled himself together he grabbed his stuff and signaled to leave. "Thanks for everything Tanaka. We owe you one."

"Don't worry about it kid. Just make sure you do what you're supposed to do," Tanaka explained as he was talking about Anko.

"Yeah I will … one day." Then they were off.

About an hour had passed and they were about to exit the Land of Grass. Everything seemed fine. Kuro was soaring from tree to tree normally, but Anko couldn't take her eyes off of Kuro the whole time. They were going at a good speed but things didn't stay that what way.

As Kuro went to step on the next branch he saw that there was an explosive tag stuck to it and that it would activate if he stepped on the branch. _**"Shit" **_he thought.

He quickly turned around and took out a piece of rope. He made a quick knot and threw it. Anko didn't know what was happening. All she saw was Kuro turn around and throw something at her. When she looked down, Kuro had "caught" her by the waist and pulled her in close to him. He caught her in his arms as he whispered, "Hold on tight."

As they landed on the branch the explosion went off like it was suppose to. "Worked like a charm," someone from the bushes underneath the tree said.

"Don't get your hopes up; Kuro won't go down that easily," Tsao said as he walked out of the shadows.

"But boss no one could have come out o …" the enemy ninja said but was silenced when his head was suddenly cut off.

Kuro stood still, a few feet away from the beheaded ninja, with his chakra sword out. Anko was right next to him ready to fight. _**"Not these guys again" **_she thought.

"I knew you wouldn't go down that easily."

"Well you guessed right," Kuro said to Tsao.

Tsao glared at Kuro and said, "I believe we still have unfinished business."

"I'll finish it right here, right now," Kuro said as he dashed forward but was stopped by ten ninjas who appeared in front of Tsao.

"I wasn't talking to you Kuro; I was talking to that woman next to you."

Kuro looked over to Anko who looked confused. _**"What business do I have with him? I don't even know him?"**_

"No, your business is with me Tsao. Leave her out of this," Kuro yelled.

"She has everything to do with this and she and I have business to talk about."

"Don't you dare …" Kuro said but was cut off when the ten ninjas in front of him brought out their kunais and held them up to his neck.

"Don't I dare what? I can do what I want and not even you could stop me. Now, Deadly Ten, get him out of here," Tsao ordered.

"NO!!!" The Deadly Ten grabbed Kuro and disappeared.

"Now, woman, it's just you and me."

Anko didn't know what to do. Kuro was taken away mysteriously. An enemy was right in front of her and he claimed that he wanted to talk to her. Anko could only think of one thing to do. So she let the ferocity she held inside her build to a frightening level as she made her decision, to fight.

Anko dashed forward and brought out her kunai. She went it for a stab but Tsao moved out of the way. She brought down her hand to balance herself and brought her heel up to try and kick Tsao. Tsao easily grabbed her heel and pulled her over his head. She crashed to the ground. Once on the ground, Anko used her Fire Release: Great Fireball technique. Tsao burst into flames but to Anko's disappointment it turned out to be a piece of log.

"I just wanted to talk. We can fight later?" Tsao said as he came out of the ground.

"_**This guy's better then I thought," **_Anko thought. She snarled at him, "What do you want to talk about?"

"What else? That kid you're with. What is he to you? A part of your village? Is he from your village? Does he live there? Does he have family there?"

"Why do you want to know?" Anko didn't understand Tsao's questions. What did he have to do with Kuro?

"Because it is finally time for me to get my revenge," Tsao said simply.

"What revenge?"

"Revenge for having my home destroyed, my family killed, and hundreds of other people killed as well."

* * *

A loud scream was heard through the forest. Kuro smiled to himself and said, "Two down eight to go."

"You really think you can beat all of us? When one of use dies their life force is transferred to the rest which multiplies their power by two. Even if you get to the last one, he will be 512 times stronger then he originally was," one of the Deadly Ten said.

Kuro looked at him and said, "And what makes you think that any of you could beat me?"

* * *

Anko was baffled. She didn't know how to react to this new information. Was it true? Did Kuro do the things that Tsao said? She didn't know what to believe in.

"Don't believe me? Well, did you ever hear of the myth of the Thief City?" Tsao asked.

Anko just gave a nod. She recalled the myth alright because it was a relatively new one. It told about a large city in what was now the Hidden Sound Village. It was a city where thieves of all countries would go to sell their stolen goods. They would also live there and they even created a black-market with other governing nations. But that wasn't the new news. The new news was the rumor that everyone that had lived in that city had been slaughtered and wiped off the face of the earth. When reports came in about it, investigators were quickly sent to check things out, but when they got to the city only buildings were there. Some of the buildings were fully destroyed, while others seemed untouched. But there was one thing everywhere … blood. It was all over the walls, buildings, carts, floors and stairs. There was not one spot that wasn't covered in blood but a big question hung in the air—what had happened? There were no signs of life anywhere when they got there, and nothing seemed to be living anymore. When the investigator finished searching the entire city, they found a young boy on the roof of one of the towers. When they tried to capture him, it was said, that he jumped hundreds of feet into the sky. When he came down they said that he was holding an enormous, black ball. It was the size of a large mountain. When it touched the grounded everything around it disintegrated. The city and everything around it was destroyed. All that was left was a giant crater. Anko still believed it was a myth because she'd traveled to just about every country, and all the lands they bordered, and never once had she seen a single crater like the one that was described.

"Well, I bet you think it's just a myth right? WRONG!!!! I use to live there. I was the king there. We lived happily. People would come in and buy our products and everyone would live freely. Free from persecution. Everything was great until that blasted kid came. I bet you can already guess who that kid was?" Tsao asked.

Anko couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. It wasn't. It couldn't be. Kuro could never do something like that. He just couldn't. He would never kill someone just like that for nothing. Never.

"In denial I see," Tsao began. "Well let me tell you why he came. He came because we had been decided to hold a young girl for ransom. We gave a letter to her Father explaining our demands, but the kid decided to take things into his own hands. Ayame was the little girl's name. I'll never forget her face. Full of tears and she was so scared. But that same night the boy came, and he destroyed everything. Killed and ate everyone. He even tried to kill me but failed to, and now I will have my revenge. But first things first, he took away something from me and now I will take away something from him." Tsao reached back and pulled out a large, four-pointed shuriken.

_**"Shit!"**_ Anko thought but was left with no time to react since some hands came from the ground, grabbed her by the ankles and immobilized her. She was left wide open for Tsao's attack.

"Now you will die."

Tsao threw the shuriken and as it spun straight at her all she could think of was that boy … Kuro. Had he been the one to kill everyone? If so, he did it to save Ayame and that was why Ayame loved him so much. That was why Teuchi was grateful for him. It all made sense now, but in the end she was going to die without telling Kuro how she felt. Her realization came too late. It was all too late. As the deadly star came soaring towards her all she could say was, "I'm sorry … Kuro."

* * *

**A/N: **Just 2 more. Next up - what will happen to Anko? We will see next time. 


	15. Monster

**A/N:** Second to last chapter. The ending to the struggle between Tsao and kuro. What will happen--

**

* * *

**

As Anko stood still waiting for the shuriken, she noticed something—it should have it her by now. She was still alive. The shuriken hadn't hit her. As she looked up, she saw why it didn't hit her. It had hit something else.

"Why are you saying sorry for?" Kuro asked smiling. It wasn't a completely happy smile though. The smile was covering up the pain and the reality of the situation.

Anko stared at him, completely traumatized. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. What had happened in front of her? She was unaware of it. Kuro had come back to save her, but had paid a steep price.

The shuriken that Tsao had thrown was now immobile. It had completely stopped. Anko could only see one point of the shuriken side, while the other three points were on the other side of Kuro. He had taken the shuriken's hit. One of the points went straight through him while the others did damage to his face and legs. The one point that did penetrate him went all the way through. From the base of the point to the tip; it had sliced right through him.

Anko saw all the blood he was losing and could tell he was fading fast. His body was trembling and he would barely stand. Anko couldn't face the fact that Kuro had just taken a deadly hit for her and now his life was in danger. He could die.

Tsao said, "Nice try kid but not even you could win this one. That's too big of a wound. For you to walk away from this, you'd need a miracle."

"Don't worry about me," Kuro said softly.

"Don't even try to come up with some heroic bullshit. You know you're dead and that girl behind you knows it too. Just look at her; she has most of your blood all over her cloths and face."

Kuro tried to bring his hands up but he couldn't. His strength was completely gone and his legs were starting to give out. He could feel it. Anko could see it. He was near the end. He had given everything up and now she was no help to him.

"I'm going to enjoy this. Finally, I'll be able to watch you die!" Tsao screamed.

Kuro just smiled his regular grin. _**"That's what he thinks." **_He mustered every bit of strength he had to bring his hands up and try to put them together. He used the hole in the shuriken to assist him. As his hands finally came together he tried to make some hand seals.

"Still have some fight in you I see," Tsao said as he watched what Kuro was doing. He dashed forward and kicked the shuriken into Kuro even deeper.

Kuro let out a loud groan. The pain was excruciating. He tried to remain focused on his hand seals. _**"Just a few more. Teuchi, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to use it again." **_

"Whatever it is you're trying to create won't help you." Tsao gave the shuriken another powerful kick that almost sent the entire shuriken through Kuro's body.

Kuro finished with the serpent hand seal. The moment he finished, an aura of black and grey chakra began to form around his body. Tsao jumped back. "That chakra!" he said bewildered.

Kuro easily grabbed the shuriken and pulled it straight out of his body without any noise what so ever. Anko could see all the way through Kuro. The gap of the wound spanned a lot more then half of his abdomen. Anko could also see the fear in Tsao's eyes. It was the first time she saw any emotion coming from him, other than the enjoyment he displayed when he was attacking Kuro.

But as she saw Tsao's fear, she also noticed something else. Kuro's wound was healing itself. In a matter of seconds the wound was completely healed. It was as if the wound never even existed.

"Impossible, no one can heal that quickly!" Tsao proclaimed.

"Well, apparently, I can." Kuro brought up his head slowly and revealed his eyes; the all black ones.

And then Tsao did something strange. He began to laugh. He began to laugh uncontrollably. Anko was finally released from Tsao's technique. As she was released, Tsao stopped laughing and said, "I should be honored to see these things twice but it doesn't matter since you'll be dead by the time this is over."

Kuro brought his fists into the air and said, "Lets see if that's true."

Anko tried to follow the battle that was unfolding in front of her but everything was just too quick. One moment they were right in front of her the next they were a hundred feet up in the air. Then suddenly, all you could hear was an explosion underground. It was all some sort of high speed battle. Finally, the two were back in front of her. Tsao had some cuts on his body while Kuro was untouched.

"Damn you but THAT'S NOT MY BEST!!!!" Tsao put his hands together and screamed, "FIRE RELEASE: FLAME DRAGON MASTER TECHNIQUE!!!"

An enormous fire dragon came out of Tsao's mouth. It was the size of a mountain. The dragon soared high into the sky, and then it turned down and went into attack mode, launching itself straight at Kuro. He stood motionless and waited. The second before the gargantuan dragon hit him; he brought his hand up and stopped the dragon dead in his tracks. Kuro was only pushed down by the extreme force but never-the-less he stopped the technique.

Tsao stood there filled with anger. "I'm not going to let you kill me the way you did everyone else!"

"Oh, I won't kill you like everyone else," Kuro said, "it'll be much worse."

As the dragon disappeared Kuro started to concentrate the black chakra that was still swirling around him. It started to form a large sword. The sword was bigger then he was and seemed to be millions of times heavier. He easily picked it up, dashed forward, and with one single stroke he cut off Tsao's right arm.

Anko watched, but couldn't understand the battle she was seeing. Kuro was no longer himself. He had turned into this cold, killing machine whose only goal was to kill Tsao. Anko just stayed quiet, not wanting to enter into this. She tried to find a reason but couldn't.

Tsao gripped his wound trying to not scream from the pain. "You little bitch," he hummed, but, again with a stroke of his sword, Kuro cut off his left arm.

This time Tsao couldn't hold in his pain and uttered a loud groan. He was losing blood fast and his wounds were definitely severe. "Seems like we traded places," Kuro said remarking on the blood loss.

Tsao spat and said, "Looks like you finally did it. You killed all of us. Happy?"

"No," Kuro replied coldly. "I never was happy about it." He pointed his sword in the air and Anko watched it change into a large axe. "It's time."

"Yeah," Tsao replied with a final spit. "I guess it is, but remember … I'll see you in hell."

"Yeah," Kuro said softly, remembering all of the lives he had taken, and how he was about to take one more.

He raised the ax, and sliced straight through Tsao's head, straight down his body, all the way down to the ground, cutting him cleanly in half. The halves broke away from each other and fell to their respective sides.

It was over.

* * *

**A/N: **I'll repeat--it's over (the fight anyway). Prepare for the last chapter of this story. 


	16. Choices Part 2

**A/N: **Ok the story comes to an end. It's all over but the question is, "How is it going to end?"

* * *

And it was as simple as that … it was over. All the fighting, all the struggles, all the bloodshed. It was over and just like with many things that end, something else began.

When Kuro turned around and put on his headband, he was back to being himself again. He walked over to Anko and helped her up. At a certain point in the fight, she had fallen to her knees in disbelief. They just looked at each other for a while before Kuro finally spoke.

"Are you ok?"

Anko was so happy that things had finally ended. No more fighting and no more running. "Yeah but you don't have to ask me that every single time I happen to be on my knees."

"But," he started saying—he could feel the words escaping his mouth—and then said, "but I love you too much to let anything happen to you."

He'd finally said it. He loved her. Anko, at first, was caught off guard by what he'd said, but when her brain understood the power of his words, she started to fall for him even more. She wanted to jump up and down because of it. Instead, she decided to keep calm. She just gave him her famous smile and told him, "If that's true then never let me see the person **I** love get hurt so badly in front of my eyes again."

It was all out and in the open. They loved each other and now they both knew it. He had given up everything and she had always been there for him. It was more than they could have asked for. Everything seemed so peaceful. It was a blissful period. Nothing was going wrong. The only thing that killed the moment was Kuro saying, "We have to get going."

"But why?" Anko said as she laced her hands with Kuro's, "Can't you just stay here with me?"

Kuro looked at her. He felt emotions surge through him. He finally decided something. He decided to do it before anything. He kissed her. They both had been waiting for it and it finally happened. As they stood there and kissed each other, they pulled each other closer, and held on even tighter. The excitement of it all was finally happening. They were able to freely express what they'd been wanting to. And they would have stayed there for eternity if it wasn't for Kuro breaking the kiss.

"I'd love to stay here with you, but we don't have much time. I need to get you to the village safely." With this remark, Kuro grabbed Anko by the waist and started to soar through the trees.

"_**He always has been very serious in his decisions." **_Anko then picked up her pace as they began heading to the Hidden Leaf Village.

As they soared through the trees, they told each other stories. Stories of the times that they felt "something more" in their relationship, but weren't sure what it was. That "something more" had always been there, but they just never knew how to face it. It had been a mystery but now it was out in the open. Funny stories came up, like the time Kuro started sleep walking, and sad stories, when Anko's mission was canceled. It was all a new turn in their relationship.

Hours later they got to the front gates. Kuro landed on the exact spot he stood the first day he set eyes on the village. Everything seemed so different from that day. He had one hell of a life there and he was glad he was able to see it all again.

"Well, come on let's get going. There's some stuff I want to show you," Anko suggested with a quick wink.

Kuro gave a deep sigh as he explained. "I wish I could but this is as far as I can go."

Anko gave him a strange look. Then she noticed what he was talking about. Since Kuro wore shorts, his legs were partly visible and when Anko looked at them she saw that his legs were decaying. It seemed as if they were being destroyed from the inside out.

_**"No, it can't be. The side effects that Saito talked about!" **_Anko thought.

Kuro fell to the floor because of the amount of decay that had now ruined his once strong legs. Anko ran to him and squatted down. She rolled him over and into her arms. He looked completely drained of energy—of life. His body was failing and his life was slipping away quickly.

Kuro started to cough a bit before telling her everything. "The technique I used to save you uses up my life force energy. It forcefully takes it all out and uses it in battle. The chakra that you saw was my life force. It's black because I'm not a real human. I'm just a so-called monster. That technique also causes my natural side effects to kick in."

The more Kuro spoke, the weaker he got. His internal organs were shutting down. Anko couldn't understand it; everything was just going good, they had just confessed their love for each other, Tsao was taken care of and they were back home. Everything should have been "happily ever after," but it wasn't.

"The technique gives the user a 2 chance of survival. I bet you can guess what the other 98 does. I've used this technique only once before and that was to save Ayame."

Now Anko understood why Ayame cared about him so much. He risked it all for Ayame, and he just did it again for her. _**"Please don't tell me. I can't lose you now. Everything's just started. No not now."**_

Anko was already filled with tears. Everything should've gone right. Nothing bad should've happened. Kuro had defeated the bad guy and saved the girl of his dreams. What went wrong? Anko removed his headband to look at his eyes. She had something left to say to him. "Kuro … I … I …" she began but was cut off.

"Don't worry about it. It was my choice. It was my choice both times. The first time I used up my luck to save Ayame and live, but this time I was only able to save you but I can't stay with you." As Kuro's words left his mouth his eyes started to close. It was those eyes that had been the source of everything. They made him what he was, they made him strong, and ultimately, they killed him. Before they fully closed, he said the few words he had left to say.

"I'm the one that should have said it. I'm sorry." But before he could say anything else, his body stilled and he died in her arms.

Anko looked on in disbelief. Her tears fell on his quiet face. Her heart tore in two. Everything that she'd ever wanted she'd finally found, but it had all ended too soon. He'd given up everything for her, including his life. She wished it was the other way around. She wished they could have both survived. She was convinced that fate had it in for her because it always took her happiness from her. Bitter feelings began to swirl inside her.

Her tears continued to fall. She took a deep breath and looked at him again. Then she felt something else inside her. She felt . . . grateful. Grateful that she'd met him, and that she'd gotten to know him. Grateful that they'd shared a love between them even though it was only shared briefly. Grateful that the love he gave her actually showed her how to feel love again. She owed him so much. But now, she could never repay him. Her heart hurt as she looked at him, but she knew deep inside her, that she would survive. She would move on, and keep him close to her, in her memory and in her heart.

She laid him gently on the ground, not wanting to, but knowing she had to. His body was almost fully gone but before it was she leaned over him, broken hearted, and said, "Rest easy Kuro. Thank you for everything. I will always love you."

* * *

**A/N: **Ok it's done. Ended possibly in a way you didn't want it to but it did end. Hope you had fun with the story and had a great time. Thanks for reading. 


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